CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Churches: Aerials

Brian Binley: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church Commissioners have received representations on the initiative by Premier Christian Radio to purchase gas beacons to place on church towers.

Tony Baldry: While the Church Commissioners are aware of the initiative sponsored by Premier Christian Radio, the matter was not the subject of formal consultation.
	The Church Commissioners have a number of serious reservations about the proposal to invite churches to place gas powered beacons on church towers to commemorate Her Majesty the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012. These relate to the potential hazards to personal health, to private property and to the fabric of church buildings of mounting gas cylinders on church roofs, which are often difficult to access by individuals and emergency services, and are structurally unsuited for the purpose.
	The Church Commissioners are keen to encourage the Church of England's 16,000 churches to mark the Diamond Jubilee in suitable and appropriate ways. In the case of lit beacons, we would urge churches to ensure that they are placed at a sufficient distance from the church building to minimise the potential for injury and damage to the structure.

Metal Theft

Anne McIntosh: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent representations he has received on trends in metal theft from churches; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Baldry: The theft of metal from churches continues to be a serious problem. Despite some recent successful prosecutions in Lincolnshire, the Church still finds about 10 of its churches a day suffering from theft. Insurance payouts for theft of metal from places of worship have increased by 70% and are expected to reach £5.5 million by the end of the year. According to ACPO the full cost to the domestic economy of metal theft, across all sectors, is reaching upwards of £770 million.
	The Church welcomes English Heritage's assistance in updating their advice on the repair and replacement of roofs, which now allows for the replacement of stolen roofing material with different less valuable alternatives. St John the Baptist church in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire is the first grade 1 listed church in the country to be granted a faculty to replace its stolen roof with a fibreglass alternative after the church was targeted seven times in six months despite having installed anti theft measures.
	The Church remains convinced that making cash transactions illegal is the single move that will have the greatest impact on reducing this crime and are pleased to see this proposal gaining wider acceptance. The Church of England continues to have conversations with the Home Office, the CPS and others.

Diamond Jubilee 2012

Brian Binley: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what plans the Church Commissioners have to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Tony Baldry: The main national focus of the Church of England's celebrations will be a service on 5 June at St Paul's Cathedral. Churches across the country are also being encouraged to initiate and participate in a variety of national and local events, including concerts, exhibitions, the ringing of church bells and the Big Jubilee Lunch on 3 June, for which the Bishop of London is writing a special Grace for the Queen.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Backbench Debates

Iain Wright: To ask the Leader of the House what consideration he gave to allocating 16, 17 and 18 November 2011 to backbench business; and if he will make a statement.

George Young: None. Under the House's Standing Orders, the House will continue not to sit on Fridays other than those on which private Members' Bills have precedence, unless the House otherwise orders. On the days in question right hon. and hon. Members continued to carry out important constituency and parliamentary work.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities at how many events organised by (a) charities, (b) other civil society groups, (c) businesses and (d) lobbying organisations Ministers and senior officials in the Government Equalities Office have given speeches in each month since May 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: From 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office became part of the Home Office. Information relating to the Government Equalities Office will be included in the reply of the Minister for Immigration, my hon. Friend the Member for Ashford (Damian Green).

Equalities and Human Rights Commission: Finance

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what the monthly cost is inclusive of VAT of each non-permanent member of staff of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC); and if she will estimate the cost to the EHRC including (a) salary, (b) national insurance and (c) pension contributions of replacing each non-permanent member of staff.

Lynne Featherstone: The Equality and Human Rights Commission is an arm’s length body; the following is based on information it has provided.
	A table showing the monthly cost, inclusive of VAT and agency fees, of all interim workers in post at 1 November 2011 is as follows.
	Also shown is the estimated monthly cost, were these posts to be filled by permanent staff. This includes salary, national insurance and pension contributions.
	The Commission also employs a further 24 temporary staff through fixed term contracts, loan or secondment. Monthly costs are not provided as they are all employed within the existing pay ranges at the appropriate grade.
	The Government continue to impress upon the Commission the need for it to reduce its dependence on expensive interim staff.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Position Monthly charge inc. VAT for interim (1) Salary plus pension plus  NI for permanent employee (2) 
			 Group Director, Intelligence and Engagement 21,465.90 13,810.00 
			 Finance Director 21,850.20 11,526.00 
			 Disability and Good Relations Director 12,846.60 11,526.00 
			 Project Manager—Executive Resourcing(3) 8,222.00 3,390.00 
			 Senior HR Change Manager(4) 14,103.60 5,650.00 
			 Project Manager, Finance Operations 16,799.40 7,062.50 
			 Head of the Codes and Guidance Project Team 20,313.00 7,062.50 
			 Head of Employee Relations 16,415.10 7,062.50 
			 Project Manager, Finance 15,152.40 7,062.50 
			 Head of Workforce Reform and Operations 15,783.75 7,062.50 
			 Project Manager, Strategic Communications 16,250.40 7,062.50 
			 Programme and Project Manager 16,470.00 4,935.84 
			 Employee Relations Manager 10,650.60 4,935.84 
			 Interim Head of Internal Equalities Scheme 11,419.20 4,935.84 
			 Senior Business Partner 12,627.00 4,935.84 
			 Senior Employment Lawyer 9,667.23 4,935.84 
			 Programme Manager—Regulatory Reform 9,706.32 4,935.84 
			 Head of Procurement 11,363.86 4,935.84 
			 Resourcing Manager 6,425.72 3,673.74 
			 Procurement Officer 7,828.30 2,878.45 
			 Support Worker(5) 2,014.17 1,585.00 
			 Support Worker 3,606.49 1,585.00 
			 Support Worker 2,583.59 1,585.00 
			 Support Worker 1,840.25 1,585.00 
			 Support Worker 1,607.91 1,585.00 
			 Support Worker 1,642.83 1,585.00 
			 (1) Payments to interim workers vary from month, depending on the number of days worked. The monthly figures for interim workers have been calculated for a typical month, based on 220 working days in a year divided by 12 months (unless specified otherwise, see footnotes 3 and 4). (2) The figures shown for the permanent employees excludes all costs associated with recruiting to these posts. (3) Incumbent contracted for 10 days per month; cost pro-rated accordingly. (4) Incumbent works an average of four days per week; cost pro-rated accordingly. (5) A significant proportion of the costs for the support workers is met by schemes such as Access To Work.

Remploy: Pensions

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities whether a meeting of the Remploy pension trustees and their advisers took place on 4 November 2011.

Maria Miller: I have been asked to reply.
	The Remploy pension scheme trustees are independent, and the Department for Work and Pensions is therefore not informed when the trustees meet their advisers.

Remploy: Pensions

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what estimate she has made of the potential cost of winding up the Remploy pension scheme; and whether this includes the commitment of £100 million to eliminate the existing deficit.

Maria Miller: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department for Work and Pensions and the Remploy Pension Scheme trustees have not discussed any proposal involving the winding up of the Remploy pension scheme. The Department for Work and Pensions, Remploy and the Remploy Trustees agreed a deficit recovery plan in June 2011 to eliminate the deficit identified in March 2010.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Ministerial Meetings

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (a) she, (b) any Ministers and (c) officials of her Department have met (i) Mr Michael Hintze, (ii) Mr Tony Buckingham, (iii) Mr Michael Davis, (iv) Mr Poju Zabludowicz, (v) Jon Moulton and (vi) Stephen Crouch; and where any such meetings took place.

Damian Green: Information on meetings attended with external interest groups is collated by the Cabinet Office and can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/non-personal-data/hospitality-business-expenses/
	Information on meetings attended by officials is not held centrally.

Animal Experiments

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many animals were used in procedures regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in Wales in 2010;
	(2)  how many regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were carried out in Wales in 2010;
	(3)  how many (a) mice, (b) rats, (c) guinea pigs, (d) hamsters, (e) rabbits, (f) horses and other equids, (g) sheep, (h) pigs, (i) birds, (j) amphibians, (k) reptiles, (l) fish, (m) cats, (n) dogs, (o) New World primates and (p) Old World primates were used in procedures conducted in Wales and regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in 2010;
	(4)  how many places in Wales had a designation of a (a) supplying establishment, (b) breeding establishment and (c) scientific procedure establishment under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 on 31 December 2010;
	(5)  what proportion of the regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 conducted in Wales in 2010 were performed in (a) public health laboratories, (b) universities and medical schools, (c) national health service hospitals, (d) Government Departments, (e) other public bodies, (f) non-profit making organisations and (g) commercial organisations;
	(6)  what proportion of the procedures regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 carried out in Wales in 2010 were conducted without anaesthesia;
	(7)  how many (a) genetically modified animals and (b) animals with a harmful genetic defect were used in regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 which were conducted in Wales in 2010;
	(8)  what proportion of the regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 conducted in Wales in 2010 were carried out for (a) fundamental and applied studies other than toxicology and (b) toxicity tests or other safety and efficacy evaluation.

Lynne Featherstone: While figures for Great Britain are published annually, the latest being on 13 July 2011, it would take significant work to run the systems specifically to obtain data for Wales and then to check that none of the data were disclosive or breached any confidentiality guarantees given to respondents. For this reason, I will write to you separately when we have had sufficient time to compile and check the information you requested. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	Copies of the latest annual publication are available via the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/science/research-testing-animals/

Animal Experiments

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the project licences granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in force in Wales on 31 December 2010 were in the (a) mild, (b) moderate, (c) substantial and (d) unclassified severity banding.

Lynne Featherstone: During 2010, in Wales, 57% of the project licences granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were in the mild severity banding, 43% in moderate. There were none in substantial or unclassified.

Animal Experiments

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many infringements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in Wales were recorded in 2010; and how many such infringements resulted in a prosecution.

Lynne Featherstone: There was one recorded infringement of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 at a designated establishment in Wales during 2010. It did not result in a prosecution.

Animal Welfare

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what priority the National Crime Agency plans to assign to tackling wildlife crime.

James Brokenshire: I refer my hon. Fiend to the answer given on 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 776W.

Asylum

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many legacy asylum cases concern asylum seekers resident in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency who are not (a) awaiting prosecution, (b) awaiting removal and (c) subject to ongoing litigation.

Damian Green: A total of 40 people are resident in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency who do not meet the criteria under (a), (b) or (c) above. These data are sourced from a local management team and should be treated as provisional.

Asylum: Deportation

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers have been deported under the fast-track process in each of the last 12 months; how many appeals made by such people were upheld following removal in each of the last 12 months; how many failed asylum seekers deported under the fast-track process (a) were removed with (i) 72 hours, (ii) 48 hours and (iii) 24 hours notice in each of the last 12 months and (b) were children in each of the last two years.

Damian Green: The number of failed asylum seekers that have been removed in the last 12 months is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Total 
			 2010  
			 November 148 
			 December 101 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 154 
			 February 130 
			 March 148 
			 April 83 
			 May 145 
			 June 128 
			 July 156 
			 August 114 
			 September 133 
			 October 153 
			 Grand total 1,593 
			 Note: All figures quoted are internal management information only and are subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. 
		
	
	No statutory appeals were upheld following removal in the last 12 months.
	No asylum seekers removed under the fast track process were removed with less than 72 hours of initial notice in the last 12 months.
	No children were removed under the fast track process in the last two years.

Baton Rounds: Death

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been (a) killed and (b) injured by the use of baton rounds since 1981.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The Home Office does not hold this data. Data on number of people killed as a result of the use of police baton rounds since 2004 are held by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). This shows that no individuals have been killed as a result of the police use of baton rounds since 2004. The IPCC does not hold data prior to this period and does not hold comprehensive data about injuries.

Bell Pottinger Group

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) political advisers in her Department have met representatives of (i) Bell Pottinger Group or (ii) each of its subsidiaries in the last five years; on what dates any such meetings took place; and what was discussed.

Damian Green: Information on meetings attended by Ministers or specials advisers with external interest groups are published by the Cabinet Office and can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/non-personal-data/hospitality-business-expenses/
	Information on meetings attended by officials with the Bell Pottinger Group or its subsidiaries is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Bottles: Public Houses

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will conduct a comparative assessment of the sale of (a) glass and (b) plastic bottles in pubs and nightclubs.

James Brokenshire: There are no current plans to undertake a comparative assessment of the sale of glass and plastic bottles in pubs and nightclubs.

Civil Disorder: Greater London

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the monetary value is of payments made for damage to buildings and contents in the London Borough of Southwark under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 since August 2011;
	(2)  how many claims for financial compensation for damage to buildings and contents in the London Borough of Southwark have been made under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 in 2011 to date.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 10 November 2011
	The Home Office does not hold the detail on the number or value of claims made specifically by individual boroughs of the Metropolitan Police Service.

Community Safety Partnerships: Wales

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding commitments her Department has made to Community Safety Partnerships in Wales in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The following table shows funding allocated to community safety partnerships in Wales in 2011-12. Indicative allocations for community safety funding in 2012-13 have been published (as per table). Final decisions about (i) the levels of funding in 2012-13 and (ii) the recipients of funding in 2012-13 are still to be agreed. From 2013-14, community safety funding will go directly to police and crime commissioners.
	
		
			 Wales community safety funding 
			  2011-12 2012-13 (1)  (indicative) 
			 Blaenau Gwent 88,880 44,965 
			 Bridgend 110,929 56,119 
			 Caerphilly 141,887 71,781 
			 Cardiff 294,493 148,985 
			 Carmarthenshire 96,432 48,785 
			 Ceredigion 57,088 28,881 
			 Conwy 83,791 42,390 
			 Denbighshire 84,712 42,856 
			 Flintshire 98,281 49,720 
			 Gwynedd 79,728 40,335 
			 Isle of Anglesey 60,520 30,617 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 81,375 41,168 
			 Monmouthshire 77,943 39,431 
			 Neath Port Talbot 118,009 59,701 
			 Newport 138,493 70,064 
			 Pembrokeshire 72,089 36,470 
			 Powys 74,927 37,906 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taff 162,776 82,349 
			 Swansea 238,101 120,456 
			 Torfaen 86,837 43,931 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 111,614 56,466 
			 Wrexham 109,419 55,355 
			 Total 2,468,324 1,248,731 
			 (1) Funding levels and recipients are being finalised.

Community Safety Teams

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community safety teams have (a) closed down or (b) reduced in size in each local authority area in England and Wales since May 2010.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 31 October 2011
	The size or indeed existence of community safety teams is a matter for each local authority to determine.

Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any additional resources or staff will be made available to the police for the purposes of supporting engagement with the Leveson inquiry whilst maintaining existing services.

Nick Herbert: The Government have no plans to provide any additional resources.

Judicial Review

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what applications for judicial review have been made against her Department (a) in the last Parliament and (b) since May 2010; whether each such application (i) succeeded, (ii) failed and (iii) remains pending; what legal costs were incurred by her Department for each such application; in each failed application whether she applied for costs against the applicant and whether they were (A) awarded and (B) paid; whether her Department (1) paid for and (2) offered to pay for the legal costs incurred by each such applicant; and what the total cost to the public purse was of payment of the legal costs for each such applicant.

Damian Green: Because of the complexity and sensitivity of the issues with which the Home Office deals, its decisions are frequently subject to challenge by judicial review and this has been so for many years.
	The total number of judicial review cases opened by the Department (including the UK Border Agency and the Identity and Passport Service) in the last Parliament was 27,622.
	Since May 2010, 12,431 judicial review cases have been opened. A judicial review case is opened by the Treasury Solicitor's Department on the date the file was registered on its database by the relevant litigation team. Because of the large numbers of such judicial reviews in the years in question, it is not possible to provide the details of what each judicial review application was about without incurring disproportionate cost.
	Information about the outcome of such cases for the years in question, the costs applied for against each applicant and whether these were awarded and paid, is not held centrally. The total number of judicial reviews pending against the Home Office as of 11 November 2011 was 8,918.
	The total legal costs (meaning Treasury Solicitor fees, counsel fees and charges) incurred by the Department on judicial review cases opened during the last Parliament is £78,569,601.43. The total legal costs incurred by the Department for judicial review cases opened since May 2010 is £17,886,294.67.
	The costs associated with each of these cases may continue to change until the case has been closed. These legal costs are not available on a case-by-case basis.
	As regards cases where the Department paid for and/or offered to pay the legal costs of a judicial review applicant, records for the amounts paid by the Department in such cases (so-called 'adverse costs') exist only for the period 1 July 2010 to 31 March 2011 and such costs totalled £7,033,973. This figure includes cases where the Department agreed to pay the costs of the applicant as well cases where it was ordered to do so (there being no separate breakdown available of the figures relating to each type of case).

UK Border Agency: Manpower

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the UK Border Agency and its predecessors spent on (a) permanent and (b) casual staff in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The costs of (a) permanent and (b) other staff are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Wages and salaries (1) Social security Pension (other) Early retirement Recoveries (2) Total 
			 2010-11       
			 (a) Permanent staff 722.2 50 118.3 34.6 -0.7 924.4 
			 (b) Other staff 14.7 0 0 0 0 14.7 
		
	
	
		
			 Total 736.9 50 118.3 34.6 -0.7 939.1 
			        
			 2009-10       
			 (a) Permanent staff 727 49.1 118 0 -0.9 893.2 
			 (b) Other staff 24.7 0 0 0 0 24.7 
			 Total 751.7 49.1 118 0 -0.9 917.7 
			        
			 2008-09 (3)       
			 (a) Permanent staff 714.4 46.8 128.8 0 0 889.1 
			 (b) Other staff 18.9 0 0 0 0 18.9 
			 Total 733.3 46.8 128.8 0 0 908 
			        
			 2007-08       
			 (a) Permanent staff 470.6 34.6 82.8 0 -0.7 587.3 
			 (b) Other staff 23.6 0 0 0 0 23.6 
			 Total 494.2 34.6 82.8 0 -0.7 610.9 
			        
			 2006-07       
			 (a) Permanent staff 428.6 32.2 76.5 0 0 537.3 
			 (b) Other staff 27.7 0 0 0 0 27.7 
			 Total 456.3 32.2 76.5 0 0 565 
			 (1 )Includes bonuses. (2 )Recovery of costs of outward secondments. (3 )Accounts for 2008-09 were restated in 2009-10 to account for inward machinery of government transfer of functions from HM Revenue and Customs and Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Accordingly, the figures for 2006-07 and 2007-08 are for the predecessor Border and Immigration Agency before these functions were taken on.

Public Sector: Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in her Department received a pay rise other than by promotion in the last two years; and what the average increase was in each such year.

Damian Green: The Home Office, including its agencies, entered the public sector pay freeze from 2010.
	In accordance with Cabinet Office guidance on the pay freeze, in 2010-11 and 2011-12 the Home Office (including UK Border Agency), Identity and Passport Service and Criminal Records Bureau paid a consolidated increase of at least £250 to all staff earning £21,000 or less per annum.
	Also in accordance with the pay freeze guidance, the Home Office (including UK Border Agency) and the Criminal Records Bureau have also honoured a contractual commitment to pay progression.
	The following table sets out pay award payments for 2010-11 and 2011-12, where available.
	Other than as a result of promotion, no other pay rises have been awarded.
	Senior civil servants did not receive an increase in base pay in 2010 or 2011.
	
		
			  Number of staff who received a pay increase Average increase (£) 
			 2010-11   
			 Home Office/UKBA 22,198 567.00 
			 IPS 2,837 161.00 
			 CRB 733 589.00 
			    
			 2011-12   
			 Home Office/UKBA (1)— (1)— 
			 IPS 2,007 135.00 
			 CRB (1)— (1)— 
			 (1 )2011 pay award not yet paid.

UK Border Agency: Redundancy

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people of each grade and role have been made redundant and on what terms by the UK Border Agency in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency has not made any staff compulsorily redundant in the last five years.
	The number of staff who took voluntary exits over the same period is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2006-07 (1)— 
			 2007-08 (2)62 
			 2008-09 (2)80 
			 2009-10 (3)112 
			 2010-11 (3)1,186 
			 (1) Data not available. (2) Data from manual HR records. (3) Data from UK Border Agency Annual Reports 2009-10 and 2010-11.

Deportation

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  which private security firms her Department has approved to carry out enforcement of deportation orders; which have been contracted to perform such duties; and what the financial value of each such contract will be in each of the next five years;
	(2)  what the cost to her Department and its agencies was of employing private security firms to enforce deportation orders in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency contract for detention and escorting services (other than removal centres) is with Reliance Secure Task Management Services and includes transportation of immigration detainees within the UK (including to ports for removal), the provision of holding facilities at ports of entry and reporting centres, residential short-term holding facilities at Larne (Northern Ireland) and Manchester, and overseas escorting on both scheduled and chartered flights.
	The services were provided by G4S Care and Justice Services prior to May 2011.
	Reliance may use, and G4S may have used, sub-contractors. The UK Border Agency also used alternative suppliers prior to May 2011 to manage peaks in demand for its services, which have over the last few years included Serco, GEO Group, and Molynes.
	Owing to the commercial nature of the contracts, releasing the element relating to just overseas escorting could prejudice the commercial interests of both the UK Border Agency and it suppliers. However, the total value of the contract with G4S and use of alternative suppliers for all detention and escorting services for the past five financial years were:
	
		
			  Total value of contract (£) 
			 2006-07 35,492,843 
			 2007-08 36,947,442 
			 2008-09 42,330,850 
			 2009-10 45,712,305 
			 2010-11 51,683,916 
		
	
	Our contract with Reliance is demand driven and we are unable to say with any accuracy what we will pay over the coming five years. However, details of all our expenditure with Reliance is published on a monthly basis and can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/about-us/transparency/transparency-spend/

Domestic Violence: Drugs

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her assessment is of the links between drug and alcohol abuse and domestic violence; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 15 November 2011
	: Intimate partner violence is frequently committed by perpetrators who have been drinking or who have alcohol problems. Victims are less likely to have been drinking, though may have alcohol problems in some cases as a result of victimisation.
	According to the British Crime Survey (2008-09):
	around one in four (27%) victims of partner abuse in the past year reported that the offender was under the influence of drink at the time of the (most recent) incident; and
	around one in 10 (11%) victims reported that they were under the influence of drink at the time of the incident.
	Smaller numbers of perpetrators were under the influence of drugs at the time of the most recent incident. The British Crime Survey (2008-09) says:
	around one in 10 (10%) victims of partner abuse in the past year reported that the offender was under the influence of drugs at the time of the most recent incident; and
	one in 50 (2%) victims reported that they were under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident compared.
	This analysis does not prove a causal link between drugs and alcohol as there may be other lifestyle factors related to both drug use and victimisation which could explain the increased risk.

Drinking Banning Orders

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drinking banning orders were breached in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011 to date.

James Brokenshire: Figures for drink banning orders (DBOs) issued in 2009, 2010 and 2011 are in the following table:
	
		
			  DBO on application DBO as part of a conditional discharge DBO on conviction Total 
			 2009 0 — — 0 
			 2010 35 0 0 35 
			 2011 8 7 313 328 
			 Source: HM Courts Service (unpublished figures). 
		
	
	Figures for the numbers of breaches are not held centrally and for the Courts Service to collate this data manually at this stage would incur disproportionate costs.
	Note:
	DBOs have been available as civil orders nationally since 31 August 2009. In April 2010, 25 Local Justice Areas were required to consider making a DBO to offenders on conviction. This provision was rolled out to a further 25 Local Justice Areas in July 2010. The Government are currently considering further roll-out.

Drugs: Arrests

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested for crimes connected with (a) cocaine and (b) heroin use in each constituency in each year since 2005.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 15 November 2011
	Data held centrally on the number of persons arrested in England and Wales cannot separately identify all crimes connected with drugs use.
	Arrest data for ‘drug offences' are collected at police force level only and cannot be broken down by constituency. These data are published annually in chapter 1 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin: Police Powers and Procedures, copies of which are available from the Library of the House and online at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/police-research/hosb0711/
	Drugs may also have been a factor in arrests for other recorded offences but it is not possible to separately identify these.

Drugs: Crime

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has had any recent discussions with the UK Drug Policy Commission on the concerns they have raised about drug policing capacity.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 15 November 2011
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department has not discussed with the UK Drug Policy Commission their concerns about drug policing capacity.
	As Minister of State for Crime Prevention and Anti Social Behaviour Reduction, my noble Friend Lord Henley met representatives from UK Drug Policy Commission on 8 November 2011. During this meeting the UK Drug Policy Commission presented the findings of their latest research projects, including their recent report “Getting Serious about Stigma: The Problem with Stigmatising Drug Users” and research project “Drug Enforcement in an Age of Austerity”.

Drugs: Crime

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department plans to provide to Operation Tarian in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14.

Nick Herbert: The Home Office part funds a network of Regional Intelligence Units (RIU), and wholly funds a network of Regional Asset Recovery Teams (RART). For 2011-12, £514,000 has been made available to the Wales RIU and £1,044,846 to the RART—both of which form a part of the Tarian collaboration. A similar amount will be made available in 2012-13. Funding decisions for 2013-14 are still to betaken.
	Local operational leaders have discretion, within the bounds of their grant agreement, to use some of the RIU funding to support operational activity such as that conducted by Tarian.

Entry Clearances

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many spousal visa applications have been rejected on the basis of failure to meet English language requirements since 1 July 2011.

Damian Green: 468 spousal visa applications have been refused on the basis of failure to meet the English language requirement since 1 July 2011.
	The data are based on management information. They are provisional and subject to change.

Gang Injunctions

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many injunctions to restrict the movement of persons accused of gang membership have been issued in (a) England and (b) London since their inception.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not collect data on a mandatory basis on the use of gang injunctions by local authorities and the police and so we cannot give a definite number. We know of seven gang injunctions in London, two in Bristol and one in Manchester.

Gang Injunctions: Greater London

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which London boroughs gang injunctions have been issued.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 7 November 2011
	The Home Office does not collect data on a mandatory basis on the use of gang injunctions by local authorities and the police and so we cannot give a definite number. We know of seven gang injunctions in London, including in the boroughs of Southwark, Enfield and Hackney.

Go Safe Partnership

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department plans to provide to the Go Safe partnership scheme in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14.

Michael Penning: I have been asked to reply.
	Since the end of the National Safety Camera programme in March 2007 this has been a matter for local authorities and devolved Administrations.

Harassment

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people reported alleged offences under section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in each of the last five years.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office classification of 'Harassment' includes offences recorded under section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. However, such offences cannot be separately identified from other offences recorded within that classification.
	In 2008-09 there were 48,363 offences of harassment recorded by the police in England and Wales. There were 52,962 offences recorded in 2009-10 and 51,200 in 2010-11.
	Prior to 2008-09, Protection from Harassment Act offences were included with offences recorded under the Public Order Act 1986 and cannot be separately identified.

Harassment

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of (a) males and (b) females who were victims of stalking in each of the last five years.

Lynne Featherstone: Estimates of the number of males and females who were victims of stalking in each of the last five years are provided in the following table. These are based on a self completion module in the British Crime Survey which asks adults aged 16 to 59 questions on their experience of stalking.
	
		
			 Estimated numbers of victims of stalking in the last year by gender among adults aged 16 to 59, 2006-07 to 2010-11— England and Wales, BCS 
			 Number (thousand) 
			  Male Female 
			  Estimate Range (1) Estimate Range (1) 
			 2006-07 674 603 to 745 951 874 to 1,029 
			 2007-08(2) — — — — 
			 2008-09 434 378 to 489 667 604 to 730 
			 2009-10 463 400 to 526 702 632 to 772 
			 2010-11 513 420 to 606 669 573 to 765 
			 (1) The BCS is a sample survey which means that its estimates ere subject to a margin of error. It is possible to calculate a confidence interval around the estimate showing the likely range for the true population value. This has been calculated at the 95% level; meaning that there is a 19 in 20 chance that the true estimate lies within the given range. (2) The 2007-08 BCS did not include questions on stalking.

Harassment

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints about harassment under the terms of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 were not recorded as crimes in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11.

Lynne Featherstone: The National Crime Recording Standard and Home Office Counting Rules for police recorded crime require police forces to record reports from victims about harassment, as set out in the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, as notifiable crimes. There were 52,962 incidents of harassment recorded in 2009-10 and 51,200 in 2010-11 by police forces in England and Wales.

Identity Cards

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken to ensure that licensed premises accept identification cards containing the PASS hologram as proof of age; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) is an initiative of businesses involved in the sale of age-restricted products. The Home Office supports this initiative and encourages licensed premises to accept identity cards bearing the PASS hologram. Acceptance of cards with the PASS hologram will be encouraged in Home Office False ID Guidance to be republished early in the new year. However, the types of identification accepted by a shop, pub or club properly remains a decision for the management of those premises.

Immigration

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration cases are in the controlled archive.

Damian Green: holding answer 15 November 2011
	As reported to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 12 September 2011 there are 98,000 cases in the controlled archive.

Interpol: Political Impartiality

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the adequacy of the mechanisms in place for ensuring political neutrality from all member states in line with Article 3 of Interpol's Constitution for the issuing of (a) Interpol Red Notices and (b) Interpol Diffusions; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Secretary of State for the Home Department has not discussed this matter with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Ensuring Interpol adheres to its constitutional rules on neutrality is primarily the responsibility of Interpol's General Secretariat. The secretariat checks Red Notices for compliance, including with the neutrality rules, prior to publication. Interpol Diffusions are not currently checked by the secretariat but there are plans to introduce this in the future.
	Individual cases can be reviewed by the Commission for the Control of Interpol's Files, which is an independent monitoring body which operates within Interpol's basic rules.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 26 September 2011 with regard to Nadia Stern.

Damian Green: holding answer 8 November 2011
	A reply to the right hon. Member’s letter was sent on 9 November 2011.

Metal Theft

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that policy regarding metal theft is the responsibility of one Minister.

James Brokenshire: The Secretary of State for the Home Department has the policy responsibility for metal theft, in close collaboration with her ministerial colleagues across Government.

Metal Theft

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to tackle metal theft from public buildings and memorials.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office supports the wide-ranging plan being delivered by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Metal Theft working group to tackle metal theft, including the theft from public buildings and memorials. In addition, discussions are under way across Government on whether legislative changes are needed to tackle metal theft.

Metropolitan Police Professional Standards Division: Complaints

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints from members of the public the Metropolitan Police Professional Standards Division has received in each year since its inception.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is not held centrally.
	The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is responsible for the collation and publication of annual complaint statistics for the police service in England and Wales. These statistics provide a breakdown of complaint cases by police force and can be found on the IPCC website at:
	www.ipcc.gov.uk

Metropolitan Police Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers employed by the Metropolitan Police Service have been (a) suspended, (b) disciplined and (c) dismissed following allegations of (i) corruption and (ii) misconduct in each of the last five years.

Nick Herbert: Information collected by the Home Office shows the number of police officers employed by the Metropolitan Police Service that have been suspended and dismissed from 2006-07 to 2010-11 (full-time equivalent). Reasons behind these suspensions and dismissals are a matter for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. Information on the number of police officers disciplined is not collected centrally.
	
		
			 Number of police officers employed by Metropolitan Police Service that have been suspended and dismissed, 2006-07 to 2010-11 (1) 
			 Financial year Suspended Dismissed 
			 2006-07 20 31 
			 2007-08 21 23 
			 2008-09 21 19 
			 2009-10 28 24 
			 2010-11 23 39 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

Phone Hacking

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has allocated additional resources to the Metropolitan police as a result of the workload arising from the investigation into phone hacking.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The Government have not allocated any additional resources.

Monarchy: Marriage

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2011, Official Report, columns 1221-2W, on the Monarchy: marriage, how much the Metropolitan Police Service spent from each of its budgets on the Royal Wedding to May 2011.

Nick Herbert: The costs of policing the Royal Wedding in April 2011 were met from the Metropolitan Police Authority budget. Information on such police expenditure is not collected centrally. There is no statutory requirement for the Metropolitan Police Authority to provide such information to the Home Department.

Neighbourhood Policing Fund

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department will provide to the Neighbourhood Policing Fund in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14.

Nick Herbert: The Neighbourhood Policing Fund will continue as a ring-fenced grant until 2013-14 when it will be consolidated into Home Office Police Main Grant. From 2013-14 it will be for the democratically elected police and crime commissioner, in consultation with the chief constable, to take decisions on the funding and resourcing of neighbourhood policing. (The ring fence does not apply to the Metropolitan Police Authority which has had full discretion on the spending of this funding since 2011-12.)
	The following funding has been allocated to the Neighbourhood Policing Fund:
	(a) £340,000,000 in 2011-12
	(b) £338,000,000 in 2012-13.

Passports: Fraud

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2011, Official Report, column 421W, on passports: fraud, how many of the passport frauds detected were categorised as (a) confirmed, (b) probable and (c) possible in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) figures for passport frauds detected in the last five years broken down by confirmed, probable and possible frauds are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Confirmed fraud Probable fraud Possible fraud—identified during examination process Possible fraud—identified during interview process (1) Total 
			 2006-07(1) — — — — 6,108 
			 2007-08 199 1,642 7,541 — 9,382 
			 2008-09 274 1,727 7,253 — 9,254 
			 2009-10 168 1,138 6,038 — 7,344 
			 2010-11 273 599 5,397 1,601 7,870 
			 (1) Prior to 2007-08 IPS did not distinguish between possible, probable and confirmed fraud. Prior to 2010-11 IPS did not formally count possible frauds identified during the interview process. In all of these cases no passport is issued and the documents and fee are retained.

Police

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what community safety funds her Department provides to police authorities in (a) England and (b) Wales.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 14 November 2011
	No community safety funding is provided to police authorities in England and Wales.

Police: Crime

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how she proposes that police crime commissioners will interact with Community Safety Partnerships in Wales.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 14 November 2011
	Strong partnership working between the police and crime commissioners (PCCs) and other local leaders will be critical to ensuring safer communities in Wales.
	Commissioners will have a democratic mandate to respond to the crime and community safety priorities of the public within their force area. They will introduce a new dynamic to local partnership working and it will be in the interests of all local leaders in Wales to maximise collective leadership. This includes the PCC working with the responsible authorities that make up community safety partnerships.
	Under the legislation, the PCC and their community safety partners have a duty to co-operate and to have regard to each other's priorities except to matters in respect of which Welsh Ministers have functions.

Police: Dangerous Dogs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been injured by dangerous dogs since June 2010.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Sexual Offences: Victim Support Schemes

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how much her Department contributed to sexual assault referral centre funding in financial year (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12;
	(2)  what funding her Department made available for Independent Sexual Violence Advisers in financial year (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12;
	(3)  what resources her Department made available for the funding of the (a) Rape Crisis and (b) Survivors Trust national head office in financial year (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government are committed to tackling sexual violence and all forms of violence against women and girls, and the Home Office has allocated £28 million of funding until 2015 for related specialist services.
	This includes £1.74 million to part-fund 87 independent sexual violence adviser (ISVA) posts on a stable basis from 2011-12 to 2014-15. This is an increase from £860,000 (44 posts) in 2010-11.
	It also includes £75,000 for each Rape Crisis and Survivors Trust, the same amount was allocated to them in 2010-11.
	The Home Office provided £1.35 million for sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) in 2010-11. This has not been continued in 2011-12 as SARCs are local partnerships and local areas are best placed to decide what level of service they require and what model is best to deliver that.

Smuggling: Fuels

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many offences relating to fuel laundering were recorded in each region in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with representatives of the devolved Administrations to co-ordinate steps to tackle fuel laundering and smuggling in the UK.

Chloe Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The numbers of laundering plants detected by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are in the following table:
	
		
			  Laundering plants 
			 2008-09  
			 NI 5 
			 England 1 
			 Total 6 
			   
			 2009-10  
			 NI 16 
			 Total 16 
			   
			 2010-11  
			 NI 20 
			 Scotland 1 
			 England 2 
			   
			 Total 23 
		
	
	HMRC does not record centrally the number of vehicles detected running on laundered fuel. However, the numbers of vehicles containing illicit fuels that were detected in the last three years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Illicit fuel detections 
			 2008-09 3,934 
			 2009-10 3,762 
			 2010-11 3,083 
		
	
	HMRC is a member of the Organised Crime Task Force (OCTF) in Northern Ireland. The OCTF is chaired by the Minister of Justice and brings Government, law enforcement and a range of both UK and Northern Ireland agencies together to set priorities for tackling organised crime in Northern Ireland.

Stalking

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what guidance her Department issues to police forces in England and Wales on investigating allegations of stalking;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers on (a) the creation of a separate offence of stalking, (b) implementation of operating procedures and policy on stalking and (c) training of police officers on prevention of stalking.

Nick Herbert: Association of Chief of Police Officers (ACPO) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance can be found at:
	www.cps.gov.uk
	and
	www.acpo.police.uk
	The National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA) provides support to the Police Service with regard to the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 by including relevant training within the Initial Police Learning and Development programme, ensuring that all new officers have the appropriate skills, knowledge and understanding.

Stalking: Scotland

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether an assessment has been made by her Department of the effects on stalking in Scotland of the coming into force of the Criminal Justice and Licensing Act 2010.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government have not undertaken an assessment of the effects of stalking in Scotland since the Criminal Justice and Licensing Act 2010 came into force on 6 August 2010. However, as part of the consultation on how we can protect victims of stalking more effectively (launched on 14 November 2011) we look at how stalking is tackled in other jurisdictions and, in particular, Scotland.

Steria

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contracts her Department holds with Steria; and what the purpose is of each such contract.

Damian Green: The Home Department holds one contract with Steria. The Identity and Passport Service, an executive agency of the Home Department, holds this contract which supports delivery aspects of the passport application process.

Terrorism

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions her Department has had with Muslim leaders in the UK on anti-terrorism legislation.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The Government regularly engage with community groups—including Muslim organisations—to discuss the Government's counter-terrorism strategy and the important contribution they can make to it.
	In respect of discussions about counter-terrorism legislation, the Home Office and some Muslim groups are represented on the police's National Accountability Board which monitors the use of ports stops under Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000. The Board has met twice this year, on 3 May and 20 September.
	More generally in respect of counter-terrorism legislation, the Government held wide-ranging consultation, including with Muslim organisations, on the review of counter-terrorism and security powers that took place last year. The summary of responses to the consultation (ISBN 978-0-10-180052-5) were published in January 2011 and can be found on the Home Office website.

Terrorism: Wales

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department plans to provide to the Wales Extremist and Counter Terrorism Unit in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14.

Nick Herbert: The Home Department does not break down the counter-terrorism budget beyond what is already published for reasons of national security.
	It has been the policy of successive Governments not to reveal these details.

UK Border Agency

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff she expects to be stationed in Hull in each year between 2012 and 2015.

Damian Green: Future detailed staffing plans for Hull on a year by year basis are not yet available.

PRIME MINISTER

Immunity Certificates

John Hemming: To ask the Prime Minister how many applications for public interest immunity certificates have been made by each Government Minister in each year since 2000; and how many such applications were granted.

Edward Garnier: I have been asked to reply.
	No central record of public interest immunity certificates has been maintained for some years and could now be collated only at disproportionate cost. The Attorney-General, in consultation with the Treasury Solicitor's Department, is considering the most effective way in which a comprehensive central record can be re-established.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Judicial Review

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what applications for judicial review have been made against his Department (a) in the last Parliament and (b) since May 2010; whether each such application (i) succeeded, (ii) failed and (iii) remains pending; what legal costs were incurred by his Department for each such application; in each failed application whether he applied for costs against the applicant and whether they were (A) awarded and (B) paid; whether his Department (1) paid for and (2) offered to pay for the legal costs incurred by each such applicant; and what the total cost to the public purse was of payment of the legal costs for each such applicant.

Owen Paterson: Comparable figures for the Department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.
	Since May 2010, four applications for judicial review have been made against my Department, one was refused, one was withdrawn and two are pending.
	In relation to the refused application, the applicant was legally aided and costs were not recoverable.
	In relation to the withdrawn application, the applicant was not legally aided. Costs were sought. However, the judge exercised his discretion and made no Order for Costs. Counsel costs amounted to £1,183.

DEFENCE

Ministerial Meetings

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether (a) civil servants of his Department, (b) Ministers of his Department and (c) members of the armed forces have had meetings with any members of companies or organisations in which Tony Buckingham has an interest since May 2010; and if so, by whom such meetings were arranged;
	(2)  whether (a) civil servants of his Department, (b) Ministers of his Department and (c) members of the armed forces have had meetings with any members of companies or organisations in which Stephen Crouch has an interest since May 2010; and if so, by whom such meetings were arranged;
	(3)  whether (a) civil servants of his Department, (b) Ministers of his Department and (c) members of the armed forces have had meetings with any members of companies or organisations in which Michael Lewis has an interest since May 2010; and if so, by whom such meetings were arranged;
	(4)  whether (a) civil servants of his Department, (b) Ministers of his Department and (c) members of the armed forces have had meetings with any members of companies or organisations in which Poju Zabludowicz has an interest since May 2010; and if so, by whom such meetings were arranged;
	(5)  whether (a) civil servants of his Department, (b) Ministers of his Department and (c) members of the armed forces have had meetings with any members of companies or organisations in which Michael Hintze has an interest since May 2010; and if so, by whom such meetings were arranged;
	(6)  whether (a) civil servants of his Department, (b) Ministers of his Department and (c) members of the armed forces have had meetings with any members of companies or organisations in which Michael Davis has an interest since May 2010; and if so, by whom such meetings were arranged;
	(7)  whether (a) civil servants of his Department, (b) Ministers of his Department and (c) members of the armed forces have had meetings with any members of companies or organisations in which Jon Moulton has an interest since May 2010; and if so, by whom such meetings were arranged.

Philip Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones) on 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 229W. These were the only meetings identified between Ministers and the individuals named.
	The Ministry of Defence does not hold information on companies or organisations of which these individuals may have an interest.

Ministerial Meetings

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether his Department has agreed any contracts with companies or organisations in which Mr Michael Lewis is (a) a director or (b) a significant shareholder since May 2010;
	(2)  whether his Department has agreed any contracts with companies or organisations in which Mr Michael Hintze is (a) a director or (b) a significant shareholder since May 2010;
	(3)  whether his Department has agreed any contracts with companies or organisations in which Mr Jon Moulton is (a) a director or (b) a significant shareholder since May 2010;
	(4)  whether his Department has agreed any contracts with companies or organisations in which Mr Poju Zabludowicz is (a) a director or (b) a significant shareholder since May 2010;
	(5)  whether his Department has agreed any contracts with companies or organisations in which Mr Tony Buckingham is (a) a director or (b) a significant shareholder since May 2010;
	(6)  whether his Department has agreed any contracts with companies or organisations in which Mr Michael Davis is (a) a director or (b) a significant shareholder since May 2010.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 7 November 2011
	The Ministry of Defence does not hold information on companies or organisations of which the individuals named are directors or in which they are significant shareholders.

Afghanistan

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 October 2011, Official Report, column 1369W, on Afghanistan, on how many occasions (a) the hon. Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), (b) (i) officials and (ii) special advisers of his Department and (c) James Murdoch have visited Afghanistan since May 2010; what the cost to the public purse was of each visit; what the purpose was of each visit; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 17 October 2011
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has organised and funded one visit to Afghanistan for the hon. Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) since May 2010. My hon. Friend, in his then capacity as Parliamentary Private Secretary, accompanied my predecessor (the right hon. Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox)) on an official visit in August 2010. My hon. Friend travelled by military aircraft and was hosted, with the rest of the party, in military accommodation while in Afghanistan. We are unable to disaggregate the specific costs of the flights and accommodation for my hon. Friend from our overall ongoing operational costs.
	The MOD has not organised any visit to Afghanistan for James Murdoch.
	Since May 2010, 477 UK MOD civilians have visited Afghanistan, which is the MOD's main effort and, as such, officials from the Department are routinely required to travel there. However, travel is only undertaken if there is a clear departmental requirement and it is done in the way that is most economical both in terms of cost and official time.
	Since May 2010, special advisers at the MOD have made a total of nine return trips to Afghanistan. On all but one occasion, special advisers travelled to Afghanistan as part of their duties in support of ministerial visits. On the other occasion, a MOD special adviser visited Afghanistan as part of a cross-Whitehall communications visit. The overall travel costs by commercial aircraft associated with the nine visits were £17,762.53; as above, we are unable to disaggregate the specific costs of the in-theatre flights and accommodation for these officials from our overall ongoing operational costs.

Afghanistan: Ethnic Groups

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the ethnic composition of the (a) Afghan National Army and (b) Afghan National Police Force; and how representative each is of the ethnic composition of Afghanistan as a whole.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 7 November 2011
	We recognise that building an ethnically balanced Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) will be a key factor in ensuring the cohesion of the future force. The UK does not make its own assessments of the ethnic composition of the ANSF. The following tables have been provided by the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A) and the UK has had no input to their production. These figures from 29 June 2011, rounded to the nearest whole number, show the NTM-A's assessment of the ethnic breakdown of the Afghan National Police (ANP) and Afghan National Army (ANA).
	
		
			 ANP 
			 Percentage 
			  Pashtun Tajik Hazara Uzbek Others 
			 Officer 41 47 4 3 5 
			 Non-commissioned officer 31 56 5 4 4 
			 Patrolmen 47 35 4 7 7 
			 Total force 43 42 4 6 5 
			 National population average 44 25 10 8 13 
		
	
	
		
			 ANA 
			 Percentage 
			  Pashtun Tajik Hazara Uzbek Others 
			 Officer 40 38 7 4 5 
		
	
	
		
			 NCO 50 40 7 2 1 
			 Soldier 43 30 12 8 7 
			 Total force 45 33 10 6 5 
			 National population average 44 25 10 8 13 
		
	
	However, the tables suggest that the percentage of Pashtuns is broadly proportionate to their relative representation as part of the population, although recruitment is ongoing to ensure a better representation of southern Pashtuns. Tajiks continue to be over-represented across the force as a whole in both the ANA and ANP while other groups (Hazaras, Uzbeks, etc.) are under-represented, which NTM-A is seeking to address. It should be noted, however, that the ANA and ANP have different approaches to maintaining ethnic balance. The ANA attempts to balance ethnicity in line with the national population, whereas the ANP seeks to maintain a balance that is representative of the local population where each ANP unit operates.

Aircraft Carriers

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent on the carrier variant conversion investigation since the announcement of the strategic defence and security review; and how much it has budgeted to spend up to 31 December 2012;
	(2)  which of the planned Queen Elizabeth class carriers will be fitted with the cats and traps system;
	(3)  what provision he has made within his Department's budget to cover any additional costs arising from the decision to fit one of the Queen Elizabeth class carriers with cats and traps.

Peter Luff: No decisions have yet been taken on which carrier will be fitted with catapults and arrestor gear; we expect to conclude work to enable firm decisions on the optimum conversion solution in late 2012. Conversion to carry the Carrier Variant (CV) Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) will provide greater capability than the Short Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) JSF and greater interoperability with our allies. The CV JSF has a longer range, carries a greater payload and costs less to purchase than the STOVL JSF.
	To date, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has spent around £13 million on investigations into conversion of the operational Queen Elizabeth (QE) class aircraft carrier. The MOD has approved expenditure of up to £48 million for study work on conversion up to the end of March 2012.
	Costs for the remainder of our investigations—to December 2012—remain under development and are due to be considered by the MOD approving authorities in February 2012.
	The National Audit Office's (NAO)'s report on carrier strike capability (published 7 July 2011), suggested a cost range for converting one carrier of £800-£l,200 million. We have made provision in Planning Round 11 consistent with our initial estimates and this is within the range identified by the NAO. We therefore consider conversion affordable on the basis of our current understanding. However, as our investigations into the exact costs of conversion are continuing it is possible that we may need to adjust this provision as information matures.

Armed Forces: Germany

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much will be paid to the Government of Germany under the terms of the NATO SOFA Supplementary Agreement on the return of armed forces to the UK; and on what timescale such payments will be made.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 15 November 2011
	Under the terms of the NATO SOFA Supplementary Agreement, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is responsible in certain circumstances for payment of compensation for damage to property provided by the Federal Republic of Germany. Damages are offset against any residual value from sterling funded investments. These calculations are yet to be undertaken and the timescales are not yet known. However, on the basis of past experience it is anticipated the MOD is unlikely to incur any costs.

Armed Forces: Members

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the assessment and recommendations on the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme made in the Kiszely report remain the policy of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The assessment and recommendations of the 2006 Kiszely report remain valid for the purpose and method of delivery of the scheme.

Armed Forces: Redundancy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to announce the final figures for redundancies in the armed forces arising from his restructuring of the armed forces.

Andrew Robathan: The strategic defence and security review announced a reduction in the armed forces of 17,000 by 2015. In order to achieve a balanced drawdown which ensures that the services retain sustainable structures, the full range of manning levers is being employed. These include natural turnover, a reduction in recruiting, and an armed forces redundancy programme.

Armed Forces: Redundancy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the timetable is for his proposed restructuring of the armed forces and for the redundancies arising from that restructuring.

Andrew Robathan: While the number, timing and size of the redundancy tranches has yet to be finalised, the armed forces redundancy programme which was initiated in October 2010 will be completed by 2015. Personnel selected for redundancy in Tranche 1 were notified in September 2011. It is anticipated that the details of Tranche 2 will be announced in the new year.

Armed Forces: Redundancy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations he has conducted with members of the armed forces below the rank of officer on his proposed restructuring of the armed forces.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the previous Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), on 20 December 2010, Official Report, columns 993-94W, to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones).

Armed Trade: Cluster Munitions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if (a) he and (b) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for International Security, were aware (i) prior to and (ii) during the Parliamentary Under-Secretary's attendance at the IDEX arms fair in February 2011 in the United Arab Emirates, that cluster munitions were being sold at the fair; and if he will make it his policy not to send any Government representatives to attend arms fairs that promote products banned in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: Defence Ministers attend exhibitions as part of our defence diplomacy initiative and to promote UK industry overseas. They are not routinely made aware of items that will be on show at defence and security exhibitions in advance of attendance.
	Exhibitors are bound by the laws and conventions of the host country organising the event, which may differ to UK laws. The United Arab Emirates is not a signatory to the convention on cluster munitions. However, UK firms are subject to UK legislation, including the Cluster Munitions (Prohibitions) Act 2010.

Defence: Procurement

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) original budget, (b) projected final cost, (c) expected time scales for delivery, (d) primary contractor and (e) identity of additional consortium members are in relation to the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.

Peter Luff: holding answer 15 November 2011
	The original budget for the demonstration and manufacture phases of the Queen Elizabeth (QE) Class aircraft carriers at their Main Gate approval in July 2007 was £3.54 billion. The previous Government then took the decision to delay construction owing to financial pressures, resulting in direct cost increases of £1.3 billion by May 2010, but with no increase in capability. The current equivalent forecast to build both ships is £5.13 billion. These figures do not include any costs to convert the operational carrier to Carrier Variant, as a result of the decision taken by this Government as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.
	The planned in-service dates for HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales are 2016 and 2018 respectively—however, these dates may change once our conversion investigations are complete and we have decided which ship will be converted.
	The carriers are being built by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, which comprises BAE Systems, Babcock Marine, Thales UK and the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The project does not have a prime contractor in the traditional sense and each member of the Alliance has equal decision-making rights. However, for various technical and financial reasons, activity is contracted by MOD to BAE Systems who then flow work to their Alliance Industrial partners using manufacturing flow through agreements.

Defence: Procurement

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) original budget, (b) projected final cost, (c) expected timescales for delivery, (d) primary contractor and (e) identity of additional consortium members are in relation to the Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile project.

Peter Luff: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The National Audit Office's Major Projects Report 2011 reported that the original budget for the demonstration and manufacture phases of the beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) programme was £1,136 million (original approval granted in 2002),with the final cost projected to be £1,115 million. BVRAAM is expected to enter service on Typhoon in 2015. The prime contractor is MBDA-UK, which is not part of a consortium.

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2011, Official Report, columns 1067-68W, on departmental procurement, how many contracts his Department awarded to companies providing consultancy services in 2010-11; how many such contracts involved the provision of consultant staff working within his Department; how many such staff are in place currently; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) awarded 152 contracts in financial year 2010-11 to companies providing services under the Government procurement services definition of consultancy. The MOD does not hold information centrally on how many contracts involved the provision of consultants within the Department or how many consultants are currently in place. We contract with consultancy companies to deliver a specific output at an agreed price. The resourcing of individual consultancy contracts is therefore a matter for the contractors we engage.
	Consultants can help us to increase our efficiency and effectiveness, but we engage them only when we cannot do the work ourselves and where we can demonstrate clear value for money. There are currently stringent controls on consultancy spend across Government.

Consultants

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the name is of each consultancy employed by his Department to renegotiate defence contracts; and what the (a) daily rate of each consultant, (b) total amount paid to the consultancy to date and (c) bonus or incentive schemes included in the contract with each consultancy is.

Philip Hammond: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Defence Equipment Support and Technology, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff), on 10 October 2011, Official Report, columns 42-43W, to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Thomas Docherty).
	AlixPartners remains the only company employed by the Ministry of Defence to support its renegotiation of defence contracts.

Data Protection

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many official ministerial papers were recorded as not returned to his Department or otherwise unaccounted for in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 26 October 2011
	We have taken the phrase 'ministerial papers' to mean Cabinet Committee papers. These are circulated electronically to relevant branches of the Department who are notified to destroy them after one month. Individual branches are responsible for handling this material and no central record is kept.
	While we are not aware of any Cabinet papers that are unaccounted for, a comprehensive answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Any significant losses of other papers are reported on a case-by-case basis to Ministers.

Departmental Responsibilities

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the record of interests he provided to his Department's permanent secretary on his appointment.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 19 October 2011
	Section 7 of the Ministerial Code sets out the procedures for handling Ministers' interests. An updated list of Ministers' interests will be published shortly by the Cabinet Office.

Dubai

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  on what date it was decided and by whom that his predecessor would return from Afghanistan via Dubai in June 2011;
	(2)  for how long the right hon. Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox) stayed in Dubai during the stopover which commenced on 16 to 17 June 2011; what the purpose of the stopover was; and what the cost to the public purse was of the accommodation for (a) his predecessor and (b) officials of his Department during the stopover.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 21 October 2011
	Visits to Afghanistan are regularly undertaken via a number of Gulf states including Dubai. In the period before the visit to Afghanistan of 14 to 16 June 2011, Private Office officials, in consultation with the then Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), the Ministry of Defence policy staffs, and in-country national representatives, considered opportunities for Key Leader Engagement (KLE) and media engagement in Oman, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the return leg in the period 16 to 19 June.
	In the week prior to the visit, the opportunities for engagement in Oman became unavailable, and updates from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advised that engagement in Bahrain at that time was not now advisable. On 13 June, the day before departure from the UK, information was received from posts that the calls intended in the UAE might not happen due to changed availability of those that my right hon. Friend hoped to see. However, it was recommended that the days in the UAE be kept in the expectation that calls could either be re-established or alternatives found; similarly, it was decided that the media engagements arranged for 19 June should remain as planned in order to achieve their objectives.
	My right hon. Friend and his accompanying officials arrived in Dubai late on 16 June and departed on 19 June. Regrettably, KLE was not achieved on 17 (a holy day) and 18 June but media engagement was undertaken on 19 June. The accommodation was chosen on the basis of the original itinerary and security considerations; the cost of three nights’ accommodation for my right hon. Friend was £580.95; the total cost of accommodation for the two accompanying officials for the same period was £959.83.

Libya: Armed Conflict

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role the UK is playing in explosive ordnance disposal in Libya.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence is providing a small team of military experts to support a US-led quick reaction force, which is working in partnership with the Libyan authorities to secure, disable and destroy Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADs). In addition, the Department for International Development is providing financial support for the clearance of explosive remnants of war through the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) and the United Nations Mines Action Service (UNMAS).

South East Asia: Military Alliances

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to strengthen the Five Power Defence Arrangements.

Philip Hammond: Membership of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) remains the focus of the Ministry of Defence's engagement in south east Asia. I visited Singapore and Malaysia at the beginning of November to participate in commemorative events marking the fortieth anniversary of the Arrangements, and publicly acknowledged the FPDA's enduring value. Defence Ministers from the other four nations and I discussed how best to take the FPDA forward. We agreed to implement a number of recommendations arising from a major stock take of the FPDA's structure and activities. These measures will strengthen the arrangements in line with both the changing security environment and the needs of the five members.

Stephen Crouch

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has agreed any contracts with companies or organisations in which Mr Stephen Crouch is (a) a director or (b) a significant shareholder since May 2010.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 7 November 2011
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold information on companies or organisations of which Mr Stephen Crouch is a director or in which he is a significant shareholder.
	Mr Crouch is, however, known to the MOD as a director of Iraq Research Group Limited. There is no record, on the MOD contracts database, of any contracts having been awarded to this company in recent years.

Submarines

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of jobs dependent on orders for submarines in (a) Warrington and (b) the North West;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the amount spent in the North West as a result of his Department's orders for submarines.

Peter Luff: These data are not held by the Ministry of Defence. The UK defence budget has never been allocated or planned on a regional basis and decisions on where contracts with industry are placed are not taken in order to benefit one local economy or industry sector over another.

Trident

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish all evidence submitted to the Trident Alternatives Review on its completion.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 15 November 2011
	In looking at alternative systems and postures, the review draws upon highly classified technical, intelligence and policy information covering extremely sensitive national security issues. There are, therefore, no plans to publish either the report or the information it draws upon.

Trident

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how he plans to keep hon. Members informed of the progress and cost of the Trident replacement programme in the remainder of this Parliament prior to the Main Gate point.

Philip Hammond: Both this Government and the previous Administration have regularly updated Parliament on the nuclear deterrent. In recognition of the level of public and parliamentary interest, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) intends to provide an annual update to Parliament; the first of these was produced for the Initial Gate announcement in May of this year. The precise format and timing of subsequent statements is yet to be decided. The MOD will also keep Parliament informed of any major developments on the programme as and when they occur.

Yemen

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he (a) has taken and (b) is planning to take to implement the priorities for his Department set out in the Building Stability Overseas Strategy in Yemen.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The principles of the Building Stability Overseas Strategy underpin the British Government's response to Yemen's manifold challenges. The three lead Departments, the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence have for some time worked closely together to deliver an integrated and coherent cross-Government approach. Our strategy has focused on degrading al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to the point where they no longer pose a strategic threat, and halting Yemen's decline into state failure by reducing conflict and grievances and increasing the capacity of the state.
	Our cross-Government conflict management programmes aim to strengthen popular participation in the political process, to bridge the gap between governed and the governing elite. The programme focuses on tribal and community structures, professionalising security and justice services, refugee and host community conflict reduction, water-related conflict issues and election-related violence. We also continue to provide training for a very small number of Yemeni officers on key courses in the United Kingdom.
	The current security situation in Yemen has significantly reduced our ability to deliver against our strategy. The Government hope to be able to provide support in order to increase Yemen's ability to manage tensions and shocks and hence reduce instability and conflict in the future; however, future engagement will be dependent on the political and security situation in Yemen.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Biofuels

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the average proportion of stemwood combusted in biomass generating plants.

Gregory Barker: Stemwood is a generic term which covers a range of different products from forestry. Based on returns submitted to Ofgem for the renewables obligation period April 2010 to March 2011, the types of wood reported as combusted in biomass generating stations include; brash, recycled wood, wood from tree surgery, forestry and timber processing rejects, forest stumps, sawmill co-products and offcuts, forestry waste wood, wood pellets, recycled fibre, small roundwood, sawdust and sawmill chip. Of these, only brash and forest stumps would not be classified as stemwood.
	A total of 1,818,326 metric tonnes of wood were reported to be combusted, of which about 0.9% comprised brash and stump wood.

Biofuels

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on achieving self-sufficiency in the sourcing of biomass within the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: We have no policy for self-sufficiency and expect sustainably-sourced, imported biomass to play a role in meeting our 2020 renewable energy target, particularly in large-scale biomass power generation.
	However, we are looking to increase UK biomass supplies by bringing forward more of our wood and forestry residues to market, by better management of our waste resources and by developing other biomass resources, such as purpose-grown perennial energy crops on low-grade land unsuitable for food crops.
	In June 2011, the Forestry Commission launched its Woodfuel Implementation Plan, which sets out actions to bring forward an additional two million tonnes of UK wood per year by 2020. DEFRA will consult next year on the introduction of landfill restrictions on waste wood, and DECC is consulting on proposals to provide grandfathered, additional support for the use of perennial crops under the renewables obligation from April 2013.

Biofuels: Health Hazards

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what criteria his Department has set for acceptable levels of emissions of arsenic in microgrammes per cubic metre from biomass plants burning waste wood in consideration of planning applications for biomass plants.

Richard Benyon: I have been asked to reply.
	If waste wood contains halogenated organic compounds or heavy metals as a result of its treatment with wood preservatives or coating, the Waste Incineration Directive (2000/76/EC), which is applied through the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010, requires that the total concentration of a specified range of metals and their compounds, including arsenic, shall not exceed 0.5 mg/m(3) in emissions to air when burnt in a technical unit, irrespective of the unit's capacity. If all the waste wood to be burnt is free of those substances, the waste incineration directive does not apply.
	Under other provisions of the environmental permitting regulations, burning of any non-waste fuel in a combustion unit of greater than 20 megawatts is subject to regulatory controls on any likely significant emission of pollutant to air.

Energy: Billing

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with representatives of energy companies on the effects on customers of the failure of companies to resolve billing complaints within an acceptable time-frame;
	(2)  what arrangements are in place to impose financial penalties on energy companies that fail to resolve customers' billing complaints within an acceptable time-frame;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to ensure that energy companies resolve their customers' billing complaints within an acceptable time-frame.

Charles Hendry: DECC Ministers and officials meet with energy suppliers on a regular basis to discuss market issues.
	Individual consumer billing complaints are dealt with by the energy company itself by following its formal complaint process. If a company fails to offer a satisfactory resolution they will issue a deadlock letter which allows domestic and micro business customers to pursue the matter with the energy ombudsman. Domestic and micro business customers can also approach the ombudsman direct if a complaint has not been resolved within eight weeks. The ombudsman has the power to award compensation up to £5,000 (inc VAT) and its final decisions are binding on its members.
	Larger business customers can address billing complaints by using the legal system.

Energy: Meters

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will provide an update on the plans for the roll-out of smart meters.

Charles Hendry: We have made good progress so far in taking forward the smart metering programme meeting a number of key milestones in line with our stated ambition to complete the roll-out in 2019. In August 2011, we published consultations on draft licence conditions and technical specifications for the roll-out(1), and on draft licence conditions for an installation code of practice(2). Also in August, we issued a call for evidence on data access and privacy(3). In September 2011, we published a consultation on the regulatory and commercial framework for Data Communications Co. (DCC)(4). In addition, the procurement of service providers for the DCC has been started.
	Work since the start of phase 2 in April 2011 has led us to re-examine a number of our planning assumptions. We are currently discussing these assumptions with industry and we also expect responses to our latest consultations to provide further relevant information. We expect that before the end of the year we will be in a position to confirm whether any amendments to the plan are required.
	(1) DECC, Consultation on draft licence conditions and technical specifications for the roll-out of gas and electricity smart metering equipment, August 2011.
	(2) DECC, Consultation on draft licence conditions for a code of practice for the installation of smart electricity and gas meters, August 2011.
	(3) DECC, A call for evidence on data access and privacy, August 2011.
	(4) DECC, Consultation on the detailed policy design of the regulatory and commercial framework for DCC, September 2011.

Energy: Meters

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of smart metering on consumers living in remote rural areas.

Gregory Barker: The Government believe all consumers should have the opportunity to benefit from smart meters regardless of where they live. The August 2011 impact assessments for the Smart Meter programme identified that over the next 20 years, the rollout of smart meters is expected to deliver £7.1 billion net benefits to consumers, energy suppliers and networks. Benefits to consumers include the provision of accurate billing and near real time information on their energy consumption to help them control energy use, save money and reduce emissions. Smart prepayment meters would also provide scope for introducing different payment methods, which may assist those in rural areas who have to travel further to access key-charging services or to purchase tokens.
	DECC is currently developing an evaluation plan, which will consider how to assess any potential differential access to benefits or impacts across types of consumer and region. We intend to publish the evaluation plan by spring 2012.

Energy: Prices

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from what date he expects the average cost of a duel fuel energy bill will be 10 per cent. of median household income; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: In 2009 the average household dual fuel energy bill (gas and electricity) was £1,113,(1) representing 5.2% of median household income of £21,400.(2 )Global fossil fuels prices are the main driver of UK energy bills and although future movements in their prices are uncertain, the increases required for the average household dual fuel bill to represent 10% of median household income are not expected going forward.(3)
	Nevertheless the coalition Government are not being complacent and are committed to help households save energy, to provide support for the most vulnerable households and to reduce the UK's reliance on fossil fuels. Additionally, since July 2010 we have made a number of policy announcements which mean that the impact of energy and climate change policies on the average household and medium-sized business user's energy bill is expected to be lower. These announcements include proposals on Electricity Market Reform and the Green Deal, the introduction of the Carbon Price Floor, consultations on new cost-effective levels of support for large-scale renewable electricity and lower tariffs and energy efficiency eligibility requirement for solar PV under the Feed-in-Tariff scheme, the decisions to fund the Renewable Heat Incentive from general taxation rather than through a levy on fossil fuel suppliers and the decision to consider several alternative funding options for the Government's CCS commitments rather than through their own levy.
	Updated energy bill estimates accounting for all these announcements and proposed changes will be published alongside the forthcoming Annual Energy Statement later this year.
	(1) Calculated assuming an annual consumption of 18,000 kWh of gas and 3,300 kWh of electricity. DECC, Quarterly Energy Prices:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/stats/publications/qep/2867-qep-sep11.pdf
	Real Prices 2009
	(2) Unequivalised median income, real prices 2009-10, before housing costs. Based on DWP Statistical Publications, Households Below Average Income:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbai/hbai2010/index.php?page=contents
	(3) DECC, Estimated Impacts of Energy and Climate Change Policies on Energy Prices and Bills:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/publications/basket.aspx?filetype=4 &filepath=What+we+do%2fUK+energy+supply%2f236-impacts-energy-climate-change-policies.pdf&minwidth =true#basket
	Annex C, Table C2.

Environment Protection

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of new investment required per annum for the next 15 years to achieve a low carbon economy.

Gregory Barker: The Government are pursuing the transition to a low carbon economy through a range of policies, covering multiple sectors.
	In the power sector, the electricity market reform White Paper(1) estimates that total investment of £110 billion is needed in electricity generation infrastructure by 2020 to meet our decarbonisation targets, while simultaneously ensuring security of supply and keeping electricity bills affordable. This figure covers all investment however, and not just the additional investment required to decarbonise electricity generation.
	In industry, the carbon reduction commitment is estimated to generate capital investments totalling around £270 million up to 2025, as noted in the January 2010 impact assessment(2).
	For transport, an assessment was made of the costs of transport policies to reduce carbon in the impact assessment of the ‘Carbon Reduction Strategy for Transport, Low Carbon Transport: A Greener Future’(3). The impact assessment estimated costs of investment in technologies at £26 billion (2009) over the lifetime of the measures.
	Significant capital expenditure will also be required in other sectors of the economy. The forthcoming Green Deal and energy company obligation consultation impact assessment will present estimates of the levels capital spending associated with associated energy efficiency measures.
	The Government will also be laying out the investment required to meet the fourth Carbon Budget (2023-27) in a forthcoming publication.
	(1) ( )http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/policy-legislation/EMR/2176-emr-white-paper.pdf
	(2) http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/1_20100120102757_e_@@_ crcconsia.pdf
	(3) http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.dft. gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/carbonreduction/ia.pdf

Gas-fired Power Stations

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many proposed gas-fired combined-cycle gas turbine plants are awaiting approval by his Department; and what the megawatt capacity of each such plant is.

Charles Hendry: There are three combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT) applications for consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 currently being considered by my Department. The maximum generating capacities of these are 875 MW (Wyre, Fleetwood), 1,220 MW (Drakelow E), and 1,260 MW (Sutton Bridge B).

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Malcolm Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the financial stability of the Project Horizon nuclear plant consortium; and what due diligence his Department is performing on the programme.

Charles Hendry: The Department continues to monitor each of the consortia, including Horizon, which plan to build new nuclear power stations in the UK. The parent companies of Horizon (RWE and EoN) have recently confirmed their commitment to the UK. Horizon is progressing well with their site preparation work has recently demonstrated its financial commitment to the development of its nuclear new build plans through the completion of its purchase of land for the company's proposed development at Wylfa on Anglesey.

Nuclear Power: Employment

Malcolm Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number of jobs which are (a) directly and (b) indirectly reliant on the nuclear power industry; and what estimate he has made of the number of jobs which will be created by the construction of new nuclear power stations.

Charles Hendry: Cogent, the sector skills council for nuclear, estimates that the civil nuclear industry today provides employment for 44,000 people. Of these, 24,000 are employed directly by the nuclear operators. The remainder are employed in the direct supply chain to the nuclear industry.
	It is estimated that each new nuclear power station will employ around 5,000 people during peak construction and 1,000 people during operation.

Renewable Energy

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which renewable energy technology his Department has assessed as the quickest to deploy.

Gregory Barker: In July 2011, the Government published the “UK Renewable Energy Roadmap”(1) that sets out the eight key renewable energy technologies that are capable of making the most significant and cost-effective contribution to the achievement of the UK’s renewables goals.
	Based on the latest information available, the report states that the eight key technologies are onshore wind, offshore wind, marine energy, biomass electricity, biomass heat, ground source heat pumps, air source heat pumps and renewable transport.
	The report includes illustrative scenarios of the deployment potential of the eight key technologies up to 2020 based on underlying assumptions about potential build rates, as well as factors such as potential cost-effectiveness, but do not represent technology specific targets or the level of the Government’s ambition.
	(1) UK Renewable Energy Roadmap, available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/renewable_ener/re_roadmap/re_roadmap.aspx

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential job losses arising from his planned changes to the feed-in tariff scheme.

Gregory Barker: We estimate that, based on the number of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations by the end of October 2011, around 8,000 to 14,000 gross full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs have been supported by solar PV since the introduction of the feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme. The total number of people doing some solar PV work is likely to be higher than this range because those who are involved in solar PV installations are also likely to undertake other tasks linked to their employment.
	In the impact assessment supporting the consultation on FITs for solar PV:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/fits-comp-review-p1/3416-fits-IA-solar-pv-draft.pdf
	we estimate that 1,000-10,000 gross additional FTE could be created in this sector in the three years to 2014-15 under our proposals. This estimate relates to solar PV installations only and does not account for jobs created as a result of the proposed energy efficiency requirement, so it is unclear whether solar PV-related employment will fall.
	Furthermore, it should be noted that current tariffs are providing returns well in excess of the 5% that was intended when the FITs scheme was launched. Any jobs that are affected are dependent on rates of support above those the scheme was intended to provide, and should not therefore be considered sustainable.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the impact assessment on his proposed changes to feed-in tariffs what estimate his Department has made of the length of time required for energy bill savings to repay the £5,600 required to bring a household up to energy performance certificate level C.

Gregory Barker: The measures required to reach C rating depend on the individual characteristics of the house. In addition, the length of time required to pay back the initial investment through savings on the energy bill depends on the package of measures installed and on the particular property.

Renewable Energy: Heating

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what measures for off-mains gas households he is considering as part of the Renewable Heat Incentive.

Gregory Barker: DECC currently has a renewable heat premium payment that is targeted at households living off the gas grid. We are currently developing proposals for supporting renewable heat in the domestic sector, which will include consideration of measures for households off the gas grid, and will consult on them in due course.

Renewable Energy: Heating

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the proportion of renewable heat incentive premium payments made (a) to households where the replaced heating equipment was working well and (b) to households consisting of four bedrooms or more in the latest period in which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: We have received preliminary results from the initial batch of the first customer surveys returned under the Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme.
	Of the 222 people who have so far responded to the survey, 63% (77) indicated that the system was working well (100 people installed solar thermal so have kept their original heating system). 69% of all respondents live in a property of four bedrooms or more.

Solar Power

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the proportion of UK electricity needs which could be generated by solar photovoltaic installations.

Gregory Barker: The 2050 calculator developed by my Department suggests that solar PV could contribute up to 127 TWh of electricity a year by 2030 and 140 TWh by 2050. This would be an extremely ambitious level of deployment without precedent anywhere else in the world, equivalent to covering 1.3% of the UK in solar panels by 2050—approximately the same area as that currently covered by buildings. Without accompanying electricity storage infrastructure, it could also only generate electricity during daylight hours.
	Were the electricity generation of 2010 (381 TWh)(1) to be maintained out to 2050, this level of deployment would meet up to 37% of total electricity daytime demand. However, the 2050 Pathways Analysis(2) published by my Department earlier this year suggests that electricity demand is likely to increase in the future, so this maximum potential figure is likely to be far lower in reality.
	(1) UMG, DUKES 2011—chapter 5, 2011
	(2) HMG, 2050 Pathways Analysis: the Government's Response to the Call for Evidence—part 1, 2011

Solar Power

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his most recent estimate is of the number of people employed in the solar industry.

Mark Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
	HM Government have made no official estimate of employment in the solar industry.
	However, independent research commissioned by the Department of Business Innovation and Skills estimate that photovoltaic renewable energy (i.e. solar power) employed 39,000 across 2,000 businesses in 2009-10.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he undertook an assessment of the effect on existing orders and contracts for solar photovoltaic (PV) installations when setting 12 December 2011 as the date for the introduction of the reduced solar PV feed-in tariffs.

Gregory Barker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for South Suffolk (Mr Yeo), on 14 November 2011, Official Report, column 592W.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he undertook an impact assessment on the loss of income to solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing and installation companies when determining the proposed reductions to solar PV feed-in tariffs.

Gregory Barker: We have not made an estimate of the loss of income to companies in the solar photovoltaic (PV) sector due to the proposals in the consultation on feed in tariffs for solar PV.
	The overall effect of the consultation proposals on the income of companies in the solar PV sector is uncertain, as many will be able to provide services related to the proposed energy efficiency requirement.
	It should be noted that current tariffs are providing returns well in excess of the 5% that was intended when the FITs scheme was launched, and that the proposed new tariffs are intended to ensure that returns go back to a similar level. Any commercial income lost is dependent on rates of support above those the scheme was intended to provide, and should not therefore be considered sustainable going forward.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Nadhim Zahawi: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the effect on energy prices if no action were taken to reduce feed-in tariffs for solar energy before April 2012 in (a) high and (b) central forecast scenarios.

Gregory Barker: The impact assessment supporting the consultation on feed-in tariffs for solar photovoltaics (PV), available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/fits-comp-review-p1/3416-fits-IA-solar-pv-draft.pdf
	estimates the impact on the average annual household energy bill of the subsidy cost associated with both a no change scenario and the proposed new feed-in tariffs (FITs) for solar photovoltaics (PV), under central growth rate projections. Under the central scenario, with no change to tariffs the estimated impact would be to increase annual household energy bills by around £26 per year in 2020.
	If PV growth is higher than the central estimate (according to assumptions for the high growth scenario set out in the impact assessment) the impact could be to increase the average annual household electricity bill by around £55 per year in 2020, on top of a projected annual average electricity bill of £535 in the absence of FITs.
	There is considerable uncertainty around future bill impacts of FITs as solar PV costs have declined rapidly to date and hence future costs (and therefore uptake) are uncertain.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect on levels of employment if the feed-in tariff for solar photovoltaic is reduced before 31 March 2012.

Gregory Barker: An Impact Assessment-has been published to support the consultation on Feed-in Tariffs for solar photovoltaics (PV). This includes an assessment of the economic impacts of the consultation proposals, including the impact on jobs. The Impact Assessment is available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/fits-comp-review-p1/3416-fits-IA-solar-pv-draft.pdf

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the impact assessment on his proposed changes to feed-in tariffs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs that will be lost in the solar industry as a result of the reduction in uptake for feed-in tariffs predicted from December 2011.

Gregory Barker: We estimate that, based on the number of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations by the end of October 2011, around 8,000 to 14,000 gross full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs have been supported by solar PV since the introduction of the Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) scheme. The total number of people doing some solar PV work is likely to be higher than this range because those who are involved in solar PV installations are also likely to undertake other tasks linked to their employment.
	In the Impact Assessment supporting the consultation on FITs for solar PV:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/fits-comp-review-p1/3416-fits-IA-solar-pv-draft.pdf
	we estimate that 1,000 to 10,000 gross additional FTE could be created in this sector in the three years to 2014-15 under our proposals. This estimate relates to solar PV installations only and does not account for jobs created as a result of the proposed energy efficiency requirement, so it is unclear whether solar PV-related employment will fall. Furthermore, it should be noted that current tariffs are providing returns well in excess of the 5% that was intended when the FITs scheme was launched. Any jobs that are affected are dependent on rates of support above those the scheme was intended to provide, and should not therefore be considered sustainable.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the potential additional cost of introducing his proposed reductions to solar feed-in tariff rates on (a) 31 January 2012, (b) 29 February 2012 and (c) 31 March 2012; and if he will estimate the equivalent cost for an average (i) industrial and (ii) domestic consumer.

Gregory Barker: The Impact Assessment published alongside the consultation on feed-in tariffs for solar PV estimates the range of costs to consumers for a reference date of 12 December 2011 (Option 2) and a reference date of 1 April 2012 (Option 3). Under the central scenario, assuming a linear increase in costs from later reference dates, we estimate that the additional costs associated with a reference date later than 12 December 2012 would be as follows:
	
		
			 Reference date Additional cost to consumers over spending review period (£ million) Additional impact on average domestic bill in 2014 (£) Additional impact on average medium-size business user bill in 2014 (£) 
			 31 January 2012 81 0.36 1,000 
		
	
	
		
			 29 February 2012 128 0.57 1,600 
			 31 March 2012 178 0.79 2,200 
		
	
	The average annual domestic electricity bill is projected to be £610 in 2014 in the absence of FITs. The average medium size business user's electricity bill in 2014 is projected to be £1.4 million in the absence of FITs. (Bill projections are in 2010 prices, undiscounted and rounded).

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what legal advice he received prior to taking the decision to implement changes to the solar PV tariffs before the statutory consultation was completed.

Gregory Barker: No decision has been taken to implement changes to feed-in tariffs for solar photovoltaics (PV) before consultation is completed. The proposal on which the Government are consulting is to bring new tariffs into force on 1 April 2012, which will apply from that date to all new PV installations with an eligibility date on or after 12 December 2011. Responses to the consultation will be carefully considered before any final decision is taken.
	Legal advice obtained by the Department is confidential and the subject of legal professional privilege.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Adam Werritty

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South (Bridget Phillipson) of 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 157W, on Adam Werritty, whether a Minister in his Department requested that officials attend each such meeting; and whether any particular countries were discussed at those meetings.

David Lidington: No Minister requested officials to attend each such meeting. The discussions covered a range of issues.

Afghanistan: War Crimes

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the Government of Afghanistan's approach to immunity for individuals accused of serious violations of human rights and war crimes in Afghanistan.

Alistair Burt: When human rights violations occur or where war crimes may have been committed, they should be investigated in accordance with international practices and those responsible should be held to account. We expect the Afghan Government to abide by their national and international human rights commitments.

Bahrain: Politics and Government

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on medical staff in Bahrain who were made subject to legal proceedings following the provision of treatment to patients.

Alistair Burt: I was deeply concerned to hear on 29 September 2011 the sentencing of Bahraini medical personnel to between five and 15 years in prison after the briefest of hearings in a special tribunal. I spoke to the Bahraini ambassador in London the next day to reiterate our position.
	The Bahraini Attorney-General announced on 6 October that the medics' case would be retried in a civilian court. We welcomed this development and the first hearing was held on 23 October 2011 to cover preliminary matters.
	We continue to encourage the Bahraini authorities to ensure due process is fairly and transparently followed in all cases. It is essential that all defendants have access to legal counsel and are tried before independent, impartial, civil tribunals.

Judicial Review

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what applications for judicial review have been made against his Department (a) in the last Parliament and (b) since May 2010; whether each such application (i) succeeded, (ii) failed and (iii) remains pending; what legal costs were incurred by his Department for each such application; in each failed application whether he applied for costs against the applicant and whether they were (A) awarded and (B) paid; whether his Department (1) paid for and (2) offered to pay for the legal costs incurred by each such applicant; and what the total cost to the public purse was of payment of the legal costs for each such applicant.

David Lidington: We do not hold records of judicial reviews against the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) during the last Parliament centrally, and cannot provide this information accurately without incurring disproportionate cost. 26 applications for judicial review have been made against the FCO since May 2010.
	In 11 of these cases, proceedings have been brought against FCO jointly with other Government Departments. In relation to these 26 cases:
	(a) In six cases proceedings are actively ongoing;
	(b) In 11 cases settlements have been reached, the question of who should bear costs has yet to be decided;
	(c) In four cases the court refused permission for judicial review, costs were awarded against the claimants in these cases but have not been paid;
	(d) In one case a settlement was reached with each side bearing their own costs;
	(e) In one case, which went to final judgment FCO succeeded and the FCO was
	awarded costs against the claimant, but these costs have yet to be assessed;
	(f) In one case the claim succeeded and the FCO with the other Government Departments involved were ordered to pay the claimant's costs. The FCO share was £12,500;
	(g) In one case the claim was partially successful. The FCO and other Government Departments involved were ordered to pay the claimant's costs, which are yet to be assessed;
	(h) In one case the FCO was initially joined as a party, but was subsequently removed as a party without incurring costs.
	The total of the bills that we have received in relation to the payment of FCO legal costs in these cases is approximately £325,500. However, there may be some additional ongoing work that is not accounted for in the bills to date.

Egypt: Embassies

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Egyptian authorities about the protection of UK diplomatic premises and staff in Egypt.

Alistair Burt: Our embassy in Cairo has regular discussions with the Egyptian authorities about the protection of UK diplomatic premises and staff in Egypt. However, it is longstanding Foreign and Commonwealth Office practice not to comment on the detail of these discussions.

European Union: Powers

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2011, Official Report, columns 582-83W, on European Union, on what date the Government commenced work on an examination of the balance of the EU's existing competencies; how many civil servants are engaged in the work (a) full-time and (b) part-time; and when he expects the work to be complete.

David Lidington: Work on the examination of the balance of the EU's existing competences, as set out in the coalition agreement, has begun, but is in its preliminary stages and is drawing on existing resources. There is no formal timetable for the work, but we will keep Parliament fully informed of our plans.

Heritage Oil

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have met representatives of Heritage Oil or any of its subsidiaries since May 2010.

David Lidington: A full list of ministerial meetings with external organisations is published quarterly on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's website at:
	www.fco.gov.uk/en/publications-and-documents/transparency-and-data1/hospitality/
	In addition, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs was approached by a representative of Heritage Oil at a Conservative Party event at the Carlton Club in March 2011. The Foreign Secretary asked him to put any representation in writing.

Human Rights

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to encourage companies to adopt the UN protect, respect and remedy framework for business and human rights in their global activities.

Jeremy Browne: The Government expect UK businesses to operate at all times in a way respectful of human rights whether in Britain or overseas. Following the UN Human Rights Council's June 2011 endorsement of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, in which the UK played an important role, the Government are fully committed to implementing those principles as part of a wider strategy on business and human rights. A cross-Whitehall steering group has been formed to co-ordinate input from across relevant Government Departments into the strategy's formulation. We also plan to seek inputs to this process from the business world and non-governmental individuals and organisations.

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the trial of seven Baha'i educators in Iran associated with the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: I met with representatives from the Baha'i community in the UK on 15 September to discuss the continuing repression of the Baha'i minority in Iran and to hear reports on the latest situation of the Baha'i Institute of Higher Education, including the trial of seven educators. The closure of the Institute and arrest of members of its staff form part of a wider pattern of harassment of Baha'is in Iran, including the imprisonment of Baha'i leaders. We regularly raise these issues with the Iranian authorities, for example when I met the Iranian Chargé d'Affaires in August this year. We will continue to press the Iranian Government to accord all their people the right to freedom of religion. With our EU partners, the UK has taken co-ordinated action to address Iran's human rights record, imposing travel bans and asset freezes on over 60 Iranians responsible for human rights violations, including Government Ministers and members of the judiciary.

Iraq: Iran

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with EU Ambassador Jean de Ruyt on the envoy sent into Camp Ashraf following the Iraqi Government deadline for the closure of the camp.

Alistair Burt: I met Ambassador Jean de Ruyt on 27 October 2011 following his recent appointment to advise Baroness Ashton, Vice President of the European Commission, on Camp Ashraf. He highlighted the urgent need to address the humanitarian situation at Camp Ashraf, and agreed that the Government of Iraq and the leadership of Camp Ashraf should negotiate a peaceful and durable solution. We continue to urge the Iraqi Government to ensure the protection of the human rights of the residents of Camp Ashraf in accordance with international and domestic Iraqi law. We will remain in close touch with Ambassador Jean de Ruyt. We understand that he has no current plans to visit Camp Ashraf.

Israel: Embassies

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from the Israeli Government about the protection of the Israeli embassy in London and its staff.

Alistair Burt: We have not received recent representations from the Israeli Government about the protection of the Israeli embassy in London. I regularly meet the Israeli ambassador to London, most recently on 7 November, and this issue has not been raised.
	The security of the Israeli embassy is delivered by the Diplomatic Protection Group of the Metropolitan Police who maintain a permanent police presence on site and are in constant contact with the Israeli security staff.

Israel: Embassies

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the future protection of Israeli embassies in their respective countries.

Alistair Burt: There have been no recent discussions with European counterparts in relation to the protection of Israeli embassies in their countries. We expect all signatories to the Vienna convention, including our European counterparts, to meet their responsibilities under the convention, including the protection of diplomatic property and personnel.
	Following the attack on the Israeli embassy in Cairo on 9 September 2011, the Prime Minister—alongside the EU High Representative and European counterparts—issued a statement condemning the attack, urging the Egyptian authorities to meet their responsibilities under the Vienna convention to protect diplomatic property and personnel, including the Israeli embassy in Cairo.

Libya: Embassies

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had on re-opening the Libyan embassy in London.

Alistair Burt: The Libyan embassy in London remained open throughout the conflict and subsequent political transition in Libya. In line with the Government's decision of 27 July to recognise the National Transitional Council (NTC) as the sole governmental authority in Libya, the then chargé d’affaires was informed that he and other diplomats appointed by the Qadhafi regime were no longer considered to represent Libya and must leave the UK. The Government also invited the NTC to appoint diplomatic representatives. We formally recognised Mr Mahmud Nacua as the new chargé d’affaires on 4 August and he took possession of the embassy premises on 9 August.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports his Department received on (a) the size of Hezbollah's arsenal of missiles and (b) the range of such missiles in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007, (iii) 2008, (iv) 2009 and (v) 2010.

Alistair Burt: We have received various reports and estimates on the size of Hezbollah's rocket and missile arsenal that put the figure in the low tens of thousands. In 2006, Hezbollah's weapons perhaps had ranges up to 150 km. Reports received in 2010 claim the longest range Hezbollah weapon could exceed 300 km.
	The reported acquisition of short range ballistic missiles in 2010, such as Fateh-110 and SCUD class missiles, is a step change and one that has received much press coverage.
	UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701 calls upon the Government of Lebanon to secure its borders and other entry points to prevent the entry in Lebanon without its consent of arms or related material and requests UNIFIL to assist the Government of Lebanon at its request. We remain concerned by reports of weapons transfers to Hezbollah, including Hezbollah's own claims that it possesses significant military capabilities.
	The Prime Minister raised the importance of full implementation of UNSCR 1701 with Lebanese Prime Minister Miqati on 7 November 2011. We continue to raise this issue at senior level with the Lebanese, Syrian and Israeli Governments.

Middle East: International Assistance

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the findings of the (a) Palmer Commission and (b) Turkel Commission report on the Gaza Flotilla incident in May 2010.

Alistair Burt: The UN Palmer report into the Gaza Flotilla in 2010 was published on 2 September. This drew on information provided by the Israeli Turkel Commission, as well as that set up by Turkey. The UK supported the UN Secretary-General’s establishment of an independent panel of inquiry to review the incidents that occurred around this event. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs stated at the time that the UK deeply deplored the loss of life and urged strenuous efforts to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in future.
	The Palmer report makes clear that the events of 31 May should never have taken place. Turkey and Israel have made public statements on the report. We regret the breakdown in the relationship between them and we continue to urge both sides to renew their efforts to find a way forward that will promote reconciliation and enhance regional stability.
	The situation in Gaza is of serious concern to the Government. I visited Gaza in June and raised this issue. He saw for himself a United Nations Relief and Works Agency School. The British ambassador in Tel Aviv and other officials regularly discuss the situation in Gaza with Israeli interlocutors.
	While there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza, there is an enduring need for humanitarian aid. We have also been clear that actions by both Israel and Hamas have contributed to the status quo. Working closely with EU and Quartet partners, we will continue to call on Israel to ease restrictions on access and enable a return to economic normality.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will have discussions with the Palestinian National Authority to seek to ensure that any replacement of the Palestinian Negotiation Support Unit is committed to a two-state solution.

Alistair Burt: We continue to reiterate our calls for negotiations towards a two-state solution. We regularly emphasise the importance of efforts towards this end with the Palestinian National Authority.
	The UK continues to be one of the principal supporters of Palestinian state building efforts, assisting them to tackle poverty, build institutions and boost their economy.
	We will continue to engage with the Palestinian leadership, including where appropriate through the Negotiation Support Unit, and to reinforce the importance of working towards a two-state solution.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Palestinian Authority on the resumption of peace negotiations with Israel.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs most recently met President Abbas during UN General Assembly Ministerial week on 20 September, including on efforts to re-start peace negotiations. The British consul general in Jerusalem most recently met President Abbas on instruction to discuss these issues on 8 November.

Middle East: Reconciliation

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to support the reconciliation work of the Parents Circle Families Forum in Israel and Palestine.

Alistair Burt: The Government support many organisations in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories whose aims are to promote reconciliation and conflict prevention.
	The Parent Circle Families Forum have been part of a mapping study carried out by another organisation that was supported by the British consulate general in Jerusalem, but they are not directly supported by UK funding.

Middle East: Reconciliation

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department provides to groups working to promote reconciliation in Israel and Palestine.

Alistair Burt: Officials from the UK's missions in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are in contact with a wide variety of groups that are working to bring peace and stability to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, including reconciliation, and hold discussions on a variety of issues including what support and assistance Her Majesty's Government can provide.
	Under both the MENA Conflict Pool and bi-lateral funding we have provided support to a number of Jewish, Arab-Israeli and Palestinian groups. The aim of this support is to reduce the causes of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, promote co-existence between Israel's Jewish and Arab populations and promote respect for human rights in Israel and the occupied territories.
	Organisations supported by the UK include the Hand in Hand school, International Peace and Co-operation Centre and Mercy Corps, as well as the Norwegian Refugee Council and UN Refugee and Works Agency. Additionally, during FY 2011-12 we have established a joint UK-Israeli Taskforce to support a range of projects assisting Israel's Arab communities and promoting positive relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel. This has resulted in some new initiatives to promote Arab language and culture in Israeli schools, supporting young Arab Israelis to gain skills and create a mechanism to enable them to participate alongside young Jewish entrants in Israel's flourishing hi-tech sector.

Middle East: Reconciliation

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) he and (b) his officials have had any discussions with (i) the Israeli authorities, (ii) the Palestinian authorities, (iii) his US counterparts, (iv) his EU counterpart and (v) the UN on promoting reconciliation in Israel and Palestine since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and I, as well as our officials, have held numerous meetings with the various counterparts mentioned, including to discuss how to resolve the middle east peace process and promote reconciliation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Providing the detail of each interaction since May 2010 would entail disproportionate cost.

Pakistan: Cluster Munitions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Pakistan on the stands at the DSEi 2011 arms event belonging to (a) Pakistan Ordnance Factories and (b) the Defence Export Promotion organisation of Pakistan that were closed for displaying promotional material for cluster munitions; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Officials in the Export Control Organisation of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, together with representatives of HM Revenue and Customs and the UK Border Agency, worked closely with the organisers of DSEi 2011 before, during and after the conference. The organisers became aware during the conference of a breach by Pakistani exhibitors and took action accordingly.

Private Military and Security Companies

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to put in place a system of standards and certification for private security companies operating in (a) high-risk environments and (b) the maritime and anti-piracy sector; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: We have been working for a number of years on how best to ensure there is a national and international regulatory system in place for the private security sector that is practicable, affordable and effective and that minimise the risk of human rights abuses.
	As I confirmed in my written ministerial statement of 21 June 2011, Official Report, column 7WS, we have appointed Aerospace, Defence and Security (ADS) as our partner in developing and implementing UK national standards for private security companies (PSCs). ADS have established a special interest group, the Security in Complex Environments Group (SCEG), which will support the Government in the transparent regulation of all UK-based PSCs which operate in complex and high risk environments, both on land and at sea. Membership of the SCEG is open to all UK-based PSCs who have signed the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Providers (ICOC). Of the 211 PSCs who have now signed up to the ICOC, 80 are UK-based. A third of signatory companies work exclusively in the maritime sector and the remainder work either on land or in both sectors.
	Along with the Swiss, US and Australian Governments, industry and non government organisation partners, we are members of the Temporary Steering Group of the ICOC which is working to establish a mechanism and standards to monitor compliance with the ICOC. We expect to publish a draft charter for public consultation in mid January next year, and to be in a position to establish the governance mechanism for the ICOC in mid 2012. ICOC signatory companies will then be able to begin the application process to become certified by the ICOC, through a process of independent compliance audit and verification.
	UK national standards for PSCs will be derived from the ICOC standards in order to avoid duplication and minimise the burden on business. For maritime-based PSCs, UK standards will also take into account the draft interim guidance to commercial maritime security providers produced under UK chairmanship in the UN Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia.

Saudi Arabia: Diplomatic Service

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his US counterpart about the recent allegations of Iranian involvement in a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the US; and what his assessment is of whether there is a similar threat to the Saudi ambassador to the UK.

Alistair Burt: My officials and I have been in close touch with our US counterparts about the recent allegations of Iranian involvement in a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington—a plot which would appear to constitute a significant escalation in Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism outside its borders.
	Earlier this month, the UK and US co-sponsored a resolution tabled by Saudi Arabia in the United Nations General Assembly deploring the plot. The resolution, which calls on Iran to co-operate in bringing those responsible to justice, was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 November. I call on Iran to respond positively to the United Nations’ request.
	Since the revelation of the plot, the UK and EU have also imposed an asset freeze on five individuals in relation to terrorist activities.
	We keep the potential threat to all diplomatic targets under regular review, including that from Iran. We have no information to suggest that there is a current threat to the Saudi ambassador in the UK. We will continue to work closely with the US and other partners on this issue.

South Sudan: Armed Conflict

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on bombing of the Yida refugee camp and other southern Sudanese territories by Sudan armed forces in the last week; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: We are deeply concerned at reports by the UN and others of aerial bombardment by Sudanese armed forces (SAF) of the Yida refugee camp in south Sudan and elsewhere in the border region. I issued a statement on 10 November condemning the attacks and asked for both sides to refrain from taking further cross-border military action. Our ambassador in Khartoum met the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week to tell them the attacks were unacceptable. Our Defence Attaché also made similar representations to SAF. The attacks are under discussion by the UN Security Council. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Thailand: Roads

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the number of British citizens who have died in road traffic incidents in Thailand in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: We hold figures for the total number of deaths of British nationals in Thailand reported to us during the period in question. These are listed in the following table. But our case-handling database does not separately record the number of British nationals who have died in road traffic collisions. To extract this information manually for each year would incur a disproportionate cost. However, we have done so for this year and so far in 2011 our records show 17 British nationals have died in road traffic collisions in Thailand and a further 36 have been seriously injured.
	
		
			 Reported deaths of British nationals in Thailand 
			  Number 
			 2006-07 269 
			 2007-08 275 
			 2008-09 288 
			 2009-10 292 
			 2010-11 347

British Overseas Territories: Biodiversity

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how much of the Government's biodiversity conservation budget will be spent in British Overseas Territories in each year from 2012-13 to 2014-15;
	(2)  how much of the Government's biodiversity conservation budget was spent in British Overseas Territories in each year from 2010-11;
	(3)  what measures the Government have put in place to implement the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy;
	(4)  what progress has been made on implementation of the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: I have been asked to reply.
	Following agreement of the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy in 2009, DEFRA has taken the lead in coordinating a partnership of Government Departments overseeing its implementation. This partnership comprises DEFRA, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DFID), and is supported by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). As part of this partnership, DEFRA established the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Group (OTBG), comprising officials from DEFRA, the FCO, DFID, JNCC and the UK Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA). Chaired by DEFRA, the OTBG is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the strategy.
	In terms of delivering the objectives set out in the strategy, formal contact points on biodiversity matters have been established in the territories and, in addition to securing more inclusive UK reporting to multilateral environmental agreements, DEFRA hosted a workshop in September 2011 to improve communication and knowledge of the obligations related to the membership of such agreements. I can report that, by June 2011, 38 discrete projects and/or activities in 10 Overseas Territories have been funded that address four of the strategic priorities of the strategy.
	Looking ahead, DEFRA will continue to liaise closely with other Government Departments, inter alia through the OTBG, as well as directly with Overseas Territories and with the UKOTA, to offer such advice and assistance as is within our purview and is appropriate.
	Funding amounting to over £1.2 million was spent on biodiversity in Overseas Territories in 2010-11. This comprised a contribution of £200,000, announced by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at last year's Nagoya Biodiversity Conference, towards rodent eradication on the World Heritage site of Henderson Island in the Pitcairn group of islands, which hosts many endangered species of birds, including the Henderson petrel. It also comprised a figure of just over £1 million from DEFRA'S Darwin Initiative for the period 2010-11 towards projects in the Overseas Territories. We are continuing to welcome project proposals for Darwin funding from the territories. Since the Darwin Initiative is now being co-funded by DEFRA and DFID, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs also announced at the Nagoya Biodiversity Conference that funding under Darwin would in fact increase over the spending review period. In addition to this £1.2 million, the JNCC also contributed £150,000 during 2010-11, and a further £10,000 was committed by DEFRA on research and development projects within the Overseas Territories. In view of the current financial climate it is not possible to predict how much will be spent on biodiversity conservation measures in Overseas Territories in future.
	As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs reported previously to Parliament, a new global biodiversity target for 2020 was agreed at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya in October 2010. The Aichi Targets apply to those Overseas Territories to which the Convention on Biological Diversity has been extended.
	DEFRA's submission to the Prime Minister on our current and future priorities for providing support to the Overseas Territories will include measures relating to biodiversity.
	Finally, turning to the level of staff resource within DEFRA which is committed to working on issues associated with the Overseas Territories over the last five years, it is impossible to be precise. While there is no dedicated service towards supporting work in the Overseas Territories, there are a number of officials who regularly provide advice to the Overseas Territories on a range of issues on which DEFRA leads.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Betting Shops: Planning Permission

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to create a new planning use class for betting shops; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: Ministers have received representations on this issue, including from a number of hon. Members, the Mayor of London and the Local Government Association. The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee is also taking evidence on this matter as part of its inquiry into the implementation and operation of the Gambling Act 2005.
	As I outlined in my answer of 9 November 2011, Official Report, columns 336-37W, my Department is currently considering how change of use is handled in the planning system. This includes examining the issues surrounding the proliferation of betting shops as a result of legislative changes made by the last Administration.

Caravan Sites: Fees and Charges

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on surcharges levied by park sites owners on caravan or static homes owners who sell their property.

Grant Shapps: As a matter of law the maximum rate of commission a site owner can obtain on the sale of a residential mobile home is 10% of the agreed price. The position is different on the sale of holiday caravans. The amount of commission payable will be a contractual term of the pitch agreement although industry guidance is that the amount payable should not exceed 15% of the agreed sale price. An unreasonable term relating to commission may not be enforceable under the provisions of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999.
	I plan to consult in due course on a range of measures to improve the rights of residential mobile home owners.

Caravan Sites: Licensing

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to publish his consultation on measures to improve the licensing regime applying to park home and caravan sites.

Grant Shapps: I plan to publish the consultation in due course.

Council Tax Benefits

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his policy to localise council tax benefit and reduce funding, what assessment he has made of the average reduction in council tax benefits for recipients in non-protected groups.

Bob Neill: My Department will publish a full impact assessment in due course.

Council Tax: Empty Property

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to local authorities of the removal of council tax discount on empty and second homes owned by local authorities;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with local authorities on the cost to local authorities of the removal of the council tax discount on empty and second homes owned by local authorities.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the consultation paper—Technical Reforms of Council Tax—announced in the written ministerial statement of 31 October 2011, Official Report, column 24WS. A copy of the consultation paper has been placed in the Library of the House. We welcome local authorities' comments on these proposals.

Council Tax: Students

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to change the level at which local authorities receive compensation for student exemptions from council tax.

Bob Neill: holding answer 8 November 2011
	Support for student exemptions from council tax is provided through formula grant.
	There are no specific changes in the level of this support in the current Local Government Finance Settlement, other than the general changes to formula grant announced as part of that two year settlement.
	Details of the final settlement for 2011-12 and the provisional settlement for 2012-13 are available at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1112/grant.htm

Ministerial Visits

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities he has visited since his appointment; on what dates; and for what purpose in each case.

Bob Neill: Further to the answers I gave to the right hon. Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) of 24 May 2011, Official Report, columns 680-82W, and 17 February 2011, Official Report, columns 887-89W, since 24 May 2011, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has undertaken the following visits on a range of topics across his ministerial responsibilities:
	The Cambridge city council area on 24 May 2011;
	The London borough of Camden on 26 May 2011;
	The Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea on 26 May 2011;
	The Sunderland city council, South Tyneside council, Durham county council and Newcastle city council areas on 9 June 2011;
	The Hertfordshire county council and Dacorum borough council area on 10 June 2011;
	The City of London on 14 June 2011;
	The London borough of Ealing area on 21 June 2011;
	The Warwickshire county council and Rugby borough council area on 23 June 2011;
	The Birmingham city council area on 28 June 2011, 30 June 2011 and 7 July 2011;
	The Cardiff council area on 12 July 2011;
	The London borough of Camden on 14 July 2011;
	The Essex county council and Colchester borough council area on 14 July 2011;
	The Sheffield city council area on 28 July 2011;
	The Swindon Borough Council area on 16 August 2011;
	The London borough of Haringey area and Harlow district council areas on 17 August 2011;
	The Thurrock council area on 18 August 2011;
	The Newport city council area on 15 September;
	The Salford city council area on 23 September 2011;
	The Bristol city council area on 27 September 2011;
	The Manchester city council area 1-5 October 2011(1);
	The Lincolnshire county council and West Lindsey district council area on 13 October 2011;
	The Hertfordshire county council and Welwyn Hatfield borough council area on 14 October 2011(1);
	The Oxfordshire county council and South Oxfordshire district council area on 15 October 2011(1);
	The Norfolk county council and Great Yarmouth borough council area on 27 October 2011; and
	The London borough of Croydon on 29 October 2011(1).
	(1) Political visit, included in the interests of transparency.

Internships

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many unpaid and expenses-only internships (a) his Department and (b) each public body for which he is responsible employed in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: Neither the Department for Communities and Local Government, nor the public bodies for which the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government is responsible, has had any unpaid or expenses-only internships in the last 12 months. In answering this question I have distinguished internships from work shadowing and volunteering.

Growing Places Fund

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish and place in the Library (a) the data sets, (b) the calculations and (c) the models for the formulae used to produce the allocations to local enterprise partnerships set out in pages 10 and 11 of the Growing Places Fund prospectus.

Greg Clark: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The indicative Growing Places Fund allocations to Local Enterprise Partnerships are based on a weighted distribution using district level data on population (in the final allocations 2010 data will be used but current indicative figures are based on 2009 data) and “employed earnings” (employment multiplied by earnings, which provides a partial measure of output) with both being given equal weighting.
	The allocations reflect the size of the Local Enterprise Partnership and associated economic activity in the area. Rather than using a more time-consuming bidding process, the formula was drawn up to be as simple and transparent as possible, and to facilitate funding being allocated to the Local Enterprise Partnerships as quickly as possible—and thus help them deliver the key infrastructure needed to unlock developments, generate jobs and build more homes.
	The relevant data and details of the calculations have been placed in the Library of the House.

Housing

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the planning implications of the housing need represented by the (a) upper and (b) lower limits of the population projections by the Office for National Statistics for 2050.

Andrew Stunell: The Department does not estimate housing need. However, the Department publishes household projections, which are a trend-based view of the number of households that would form given a projected population and previous demographic trends. Local authorities should use the projections as a part of the evidence base for assessing future housing demand.
	Household projections are based on the Sub-national Population Projections published by the Office for National Statistics, the most recent of which are 2008-based. The 2008-based Household Projections show that, by 2033, there will be a projected 27.5 million households in England, an additional 5.8 million households compared to 2008. This decreases to 26.3 million projected households in 2033 using the low population variant projection (an additional 4.6 million households compared to 2008), and increases to 28.7 million projected households in 2033 using the high population variant projection (an additional 7 million households compared to 2008).

Local Government: Redundancy

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of local authority employees in each salary band who have lost their jobs since May 2010 in each local authority.

Bob Neill: The Department does not collect detailed information on local government work force. It is for councils, as individual employers, to manage the structure of their work forces in light of their local circumstances and in a way that offers value for money for local taxpayers.

Local Government: Sustainable Development

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether regulations under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 will contain a duty on local authorities to reach agreement with their communities when submitting proposals to Government under the Act.

Greg Clark: We are currently considering the content of regulations under the Sustainable Communities Act, including whether they should include a duty on local authorities to consult and try to reach agreement with their communities on proposals, taking into account the results of the consultation which closed on 20 June 2011.

Natural Gas: Exploration

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make it his policy to include internal drainage boards and water utility companies as statutory consultees when assessing planning applications for onshore oil and gas exploration.

Bob Neill: The Department have no plans at present to amend the statutory consultation arrangements for planning applications, as set out in the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2010, to require consultation with drainage boards and water utility companies on planning applications for onshore oil and gas applications.
	The Government expect local planning authorities to work with infrastructure providers from an early stage in the local plan process to ensure that they are actively involved in shaping its proposals. Drainage boards and utility companies may also wish to work with local authorities to identify individual planning applications where consultation with drainage boards and water utility companies would be beneficial.

Planning Permission

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will introduce measures to ensure residents of new developments cannot take action to close down long standing legitimate existing businesses in an area.

Greg Clark: The issues raised by this question encompass both planning policy and environmental health protections in respect of matters such as noise and emissions. It is important in considering proposals and locations for new development that any potential environmental health issues are considered and these risks are mitigated where appropriate. In planning for their areas, local authorities should aim to ensure that uses are compatible so that such conflicts do not arise. The draft National Planning Policy Framework recognises the importance of ensuring that established shops, facilities and services are able to develop and modernise in a way that is sustainable, and retained for the benefit of the community. We are now carefully considering responses to the consultation.

Planning Permission

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the number of local authorities whose local development frameworks will need amendment following the publication of the draft National Planning Policy Framework; and whether he plans to publish transitional arrangements for such councils.

Greg Clark: The draft National Planning Policy Framework aims to strengthen local decision making and reinforce the importance of local plans. We will therefore work closely with local authorities to ensure that appropriate transitional arrangements are in place before the new framework comes into force. Amending a local plan is a matter for each local authority and communities to decide locally.

Postcodes

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the status is of his Department's inquiry into anomalous postcodes.

Edward Davey: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are not conducting any inquiries into postcodes.
	Changes to postal addresses and postcodes are governed under a code of practice which has been subject to a number of consultations over the years. Royal Mail will consider making changes to postal addresses which do not materially impact on the efficiency of its operations or lead to a deterioration of the service it provides. More information about the code of practice can be found on Royal Mail's website:
	www.royalmail.com

Property Development

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to empower local authorities who have identified a risk of unlawful occupation of land and gained an injunction against such occupation to (a) block the site entrance and (b) take other reasonable action to prevent such illegal occupation.

Bob Neill: holding answer 14 November 2011
	A landowner (including a local authority) can already take action to block the entrance to their land.
	The Government have also brought forward provisions in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to allow local authorities to attach the power of seizure to their byelaws, for encampments on local authority land. These provisions will be commenced shortly.
	The Government are reviewing what further steps can be taken to increase local authority powers to tackle unauthorised development and occupation.

Rented Housing: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of new homes to be made available under the Homes and Communities Agency's affordable rent scheme in the Peterborough City Council area from 2011 to 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: In the Peterborough and Cambridgeshire area, providers that have so far agreed their final contract offers with the Homes and Communities Agency under the Affordable Homes Programme are expected to deliver 684 Affordable Rent homes and 213 Affordable Home Ownership homes from allocations totalling £12.6 million.
	Details of the specific local authority areas in which homes to be delivered through the Affordable Homes Programme will be located are not yet available.

Rough Sleepers: Weather

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what provisions his Department has made for emergency shelters for people sleeping rough in the event of a very cold winter.

Grant Shapps: The Department supports Homeless Link, the umbrella organisation for homelessness charities, to work with the voluntary sector and local authorities to provide advice on operating cold weather arrangements. Homeless Link published a good practice guide for local authorities and the voluntary sector on 9 September 2011 “Severe weather emergency protocol and extended cold weather provision”. Usual practice is that severe weather emergency provision is triggered when the night time temperature is forecast to be zero degrees or below for three consecutive nights.
	This Government are committed to tackling and preventing homelessness and protecting the vulnerable. We have maintained homelessness grant funding, investing £400 million over the next four years to support local authorities and the voluntary sector in their work to tackle and prevent homelessness.
	For the first time ever, we have established a Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness which brings together eight Departments to tackle the complex causes—not only housing, but just as importantly health, work and training. In particular, the Group has pledged to roll out “No Second Night Out” nationally, the approach being taken by the Mayor of London to quickly identify new rough sleepers. We are providing an additional £20 million to Homeless Link for a new Homelessness Transitional fund to help deliver this national programme.
	More recently, we announced £42.5 million for the Homelessness Change Programme which will provide in excess of 1,500 new and improved bed spaces to improve hostels for rough sleepers and ensure that those coming off the streets get the support they need.

WALES

Dangerous Dogs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether (a) she and (b) her officials have had any discussions with ministerial colleagues on dangerous dogs since May 2010.

David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales and I discuss a range of issues with Cabinet and ministerial colleagues. There has been official level discussions between the Wales Office, the Home Office and the Welsh Government about the Government's proposals to improve the tools for tackling anti-social behaviour, including dangerous dogs, which we outlined in our consultation published on 8 February 2011.

Dangerous Dogs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether she has received any correspondence on the effects of dangerous dogs in Wales.

David Jones: The Wales Office has received no correspondence in relation to this issue.

Departmental Redundancy

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010.

David Jones: There have been no voluntary or compulsory redundancies in this period. However, the Wales Office has made contributions of £71,320 since that time towards the cost of voluntary exits.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Disease Control

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department has provided in each of the last five years for research and development into prevention, treatment and diagnostics for diseases connected with poverty, including (a) HIV/AIDS, (b) tuberculosis and (c) malaria; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Alan Duncan: The UK Government have provided funding to a range of Product Development Partnerships working on technologies for the prevention, treatment and diagnostics of a number of diseases of poverty. There are now more products at all stages of development, for diseases of poverty, than at any time in history. For example there are three new drug combinations to treat malaria, with over 140 million doses distributed in Africa and Asia and five new diagnostic tests for TB and malaria.
	UK Government funding provided:
	
		
			  £ million per financial year 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 (a) HIV and AIDS      
			 International AIDS Vaccine Initiative 6 6 6 10 8 
			 International Partnership for Microbicides 2.5 2.5 2.5 7.5 3.5 
			       
			 (b) Tuberculosis      
			 Global Alliance for TB drug development 1.8 0.9 3.9 5.7 7.3 
			 AERAS—TB Vaccine — — — 4 5.5 
			 Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics — — — 0.6 0.2 
			       
			 (c) Malaria      
			 Medicines for Malaria Venture 4 2 2 2 13 
			 Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative 0.5 0.5 0.5 1.3 1.4 
			 Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics — — — 0.2 0.07 
			 Institute of One World Health — — — 0.7 1 
			       
			 In addition the Government also support a broader range of research into how best to deliver effective health services, including the strengthening of health systems and the delivery of new technologies, through a wide range of research programmes 2.1 2.6 4.3 6.3 6.2

Developing Countries: Disease Control

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department provided for research and development of new vaccines for (a) HIV/AIDS, (b) tuberculosis and (c) malaria in each of the last five years; what assessment his Department has made of future vaccine-related research and development needs; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Alan Duncan: The UK Government have provided funding to a number of organisations for the development of new vaccines:
	(a) To the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative for the development of HIV vaccines: £6 million in 2006-07, £6 million 2007-08, £6 million 2008-09, £10 million 2009-10 and £8 million 2010-11.
	(b) To AERAS for the development of tuberculosis vaccines: £4 million 2009-10 and £5.5 million 2010-11
	(c) The UK Government have not funded malaria vaccine research.
	Significant investment in malaria vaccine research has been made by a number of groups, for example the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), who announced preliminary results about a potential malaria vaccine in October 2011. The UK Government are encouraged by the results and awaits the final results (to be published in 2014), so that we can understand how and in what circumstances a vaccine may be effectively delivered as part of a malaria prevention strategy for the world's poorest people.
	Vaccine research has to be seen as a medium-term investment and the science changes rapidly. Many organisations keep this under review and it is an area of priority for some private foundations particularly the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The UK Government will make an assessment of future vaccine- related research and development needs during a planned open competition for funding in 2012.

Developing Countries: Politics and Government

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department will continue to support (a) the Humanitarian Leadership Development Programme and (b) other initiatives that build humanitarian leadership.

Alan Duncan: The Government attach high priority to improving leadership in international humanitarian activities, as set out in its Humanitarian Policy "Saving Lives, Preventing Suffering and Building Resilience" (a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House). For example, we are working with the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Inter Agency Standing Committee to support a strengthening of leadership within the humanitarian sector at all levels.

Developing Countries: Roads

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department provided to improve road safety in each developing country in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) views road safety as being the primary responsibility for country governments and the multilateral development banks as major international funders of infrastructure. However, in response to the recent International Development Committee inquiry on DFID's role in building infrastructure in developing countries we are giving further consideration to the appropriate level of engagement by DFID on this issue.

Pakistan: Floods

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department has provided to people affected by flooding in Pakistan.

Alan Duncan: In August 2010, the UK launched its largest ever humanitarian response to help Pakistan recover from catastrophic flooding. The UK provided safe drinking water to over 2.6 million people; health support services to over 2.8 million people, and emergency food rations to over 400,000 women and children, among many other life-saving items.
	In anticipation of further flooding this year, the UK prepositioned relief supplies, including 5,000 family tents, 10,000 tarpaulin sheets and 35,000 thermal blankets in 12 locations across Pakistan via the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), which are currently being distributed. UKaid also funded the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to supply shelter to over 37,000 families and supported the World Health Organisation (WHO) disease early warning system to help prevent health epidemics.
	In response to the initial UN Rapid Response Plan, the UK provided further support to IOM to deliver emergency shelter and flood resistant new homes to more than 255,000 affected people in Sindh.

EDUCATION

Young People: Employment and Education

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the number of young people aged 16 to 19 who are not in employment, education or training.

John Hayes: The most recent annual data showed that 141,800 16 to 18-year-olds were not in education, employment or training at the end of 2010. This was a reduction from 186,900 at the end of 2009.

Pupil Premium

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the change in average expenditure on schools in real terms per student following the introduction of the pupil premium.

Sarah Teather: Average funding per pupil for 2011-12 has been kept cash flat at £5,082 per pupil, plus the Pupil Premium. The Pupil Premium totals £625 million this year, rising to £2.5 billion in 2014-15. The Pupil Premium provides £488 for each free school meal child and looked after child. In addition, children of families in the armed services will attract £200.

Children's Centres

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effect of reductions in funding by local authorities on services provided through children's centres.

Sarah Teather: The Department has commissioned the Evaluation of Children's Centres in England to assess the impact of children's centres, particularly in reaching and supporting the most disadvantaged families.
	We have kept statutory duties to provide sufficient children's centres to meet local need, and have refocused their core purpose on improving outcomes, particularly for the most vulnerable. We are reflecting those priorities in statutory guidance and payment by results arrangements.
	We will continue to evaluate the impact of children's centres and in particular the impact of policies such as payment by results and parenting support.

Academies: Halifax

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the effect of academies on education equalities in Halifax.

Nick Gibb: We believe that teachers and head teachers know best how to run schools. Academies give them the freedoms and flexibilities to help drive up standards, narrow the gap in educational attainment and ensure that all pupils are equally able to fulfil their full potential. The first academy in Halifax has been open for just over a year and is already reporting impressive results. We are confident that as the number of academies grows in Halifax as elsewhere that this success will continue.

Rural Schools Funding

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure that small rural schools are not adversely affected by future pupil funding reviews.

Tim Loughton: The Government recognise the vital contribution made by rural schools to their communities. We believe that in many parts of the country the current funding system has not supported rural areas properly. Our recent consultation on reforming the funding system looked carefully at how small schools should be supported. We aim to consult on more detailed proposals in the spring.

Academies: School Meals

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) established and (b) new academies are being surveyed by the School Food Trust on their approach to meeting the nutritional standards expected of schools subject to the Education (Nutritional Standards for School Lunches) (England) Regulations 2006.

Nick Gibb: The School Food Trust will be undertaking a qualitative study to look at the approach taken by academies to providing healthy school food for their pupils in 12 academies in January and February 2012. Six of the academies will be established and six will be new academies opened after September 2010.

Adoption

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children left care and went to permanence (a) who were (i) under one, (ii) one to five, (iii) five to 10, (iv) 10 to 16 and (v) 16 and over and (b) by category of permanence in (A) 2009, (B) 2010 and (C) 2011 to date; and what the total increase was in those leaving care to permanence between 2010 and 2011.

Tim Loughton: The information requested is provided in Table A. ‘Permanence' is defined as one of three scenarios: children who have ceased to be looked after due to adoption, the making of a special guardianship order, or residence order.
	
		
			 Children who ceased to be looked after by Adoption, Special Guardianship and Residence Order, (1,2,3)  years ending 31 March 2009 to 2011, Coverage: England 
			 Numbers 
			  Adoption Special Guardianship Residence Order Total (4) 
			  2009 2010 2011 2009 2010 2011 2009 2010 2011 2009 2010 2011 
			 All children 3,330 3,200 3,050 1,240 1,290 1,740 930 1,010 1,180 5,490 5,500 5,970 
			              
			 Age on ceasing (years)             
			 Aged under 1 80 70 60 110 90 130 90 100 120 290 260 310 
			 Aged 1 to 4 2,380 2,250 2,170 510 570 810 360 420 490 3,250 3,240 3,480 
			 Aged 5 to 9 770 780 730 350 350 440 250 270 330 1,370 1,390 1,490 
			 Aged 10 to 15 80 100 90 240 250 320 220 210 230 540 550 640 
			 Aged 16 and over 10 10 x 20 20 40 10 10 10 40 50 50 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage increase from 2010 to 2011 
			  Adoption Special guardianship Residence Order Total (4) 
			 All children -5 35 16 9 
			      
			 Age on ceasing (years)     
			 Aged under 1 -10 43 17 19 
			 Aged 1 to 4 -3 42 18 7 
			 Aged 5 to 9 -6 26 21 7 
			 Aged 10 to 15 -7 30 8 15 
			 Aged 16 and over x 54 18 18 
			 (1) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10, percentage have rounded to the whole number. (2) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. (3) x denotes figures which are not shown in order to protect confidentiality. (4) Total of adoption, special guardianship and residence orders. Source: SSDA 903

Carers: Grandparents

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in each local authority area were brought up by their grandparents in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: Information on children who were brought up by their grandparents is not collected centrally. However, information is available on children looked after by parents or other persons with parental responsibility (as defined in the Children Act 1989) and foster placements with relatives or friends at 31 March 2011. This is contained in table A3 which can be accessed via the Excel link ‘England Summary Tables’ in the Statistical First Release (Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2011) published on 28 September 2011 at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001026/index.shtml
	A recent study on kinship care which highlights the number of children in England living with grandparents was recently published by Hadley Centre. This information can be accessed via this link:
	http://www.bristol.ac.uk/sps/research/projects/completed/2011/rj5314/finalkinship.pdf

Charities

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what grants his Department made to charitable organisations in each of the last five years.

Sarah Teather: DfE's direct grant spend with civil society organisations, which includes charities, was £366 million for the financial year 2010-11 and £166 million between April 2011 and 31 October 2011. A number of those grants were awarded through our VCS Prospectus (announced on 25 February 2011) and figures for each funded organisation can be found in the press notice on the DfE website:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/a0074906/voluntary-and-community-organisations-awarded-60-million-grant
	The sector also receives money from DfE through a number of other routes, including funding through arm’s length bodies, through the money we give to local authorities and from services commissioned from schools.
	We are unable to provide information on funding to charitable organisations in earlier years as extracting and analysing that information would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.

Children in Care

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many looked-after children there were in (a) England and (b) each local authority area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The number of looked after children in England as at 31 March 2011 was 65,620. This information is contained in the Statistical First Release (Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2011) which was published on 28 September 2011 at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001026/index.shtml
	Information on the number of children looked after in each local authority for the years ending 31 March 2007 to 2011 is contained in table LAA1 and is shown in the following table. The information can also be accessed in the above Statistical First Release (via the Excel link “Local Authority summary tables” on the release's web page).
	
		
			 Table LAA1: Children looked  after at 31 March, by local a uthority (1,2 ) years ending 31 March 2007 to 2011, Coverage: England 
			 Numbers and rates per 10,000 children aged under 18 years 
			  Numbers (3) Rates (4) 
			  2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 England 59,970 59,360 60,890 64,410 65,520 55 54 55 58 59 
			            
			 North East 3,260 3,250 3,250 3,640 3,820 61 61 61 69 73 
			 Darlington 140 135 130 145 185 63 61 59 66 86 
			 Durham 410 410 435 500 520 40 40 43 49 52 
			 Gateshead 305 290 290 300 365 77 74 75 78 95 
			 Hartlepool 135 150 150 165 165 63 72 73 81 82 
			 Middlesbrough 245 270 275 320 330 77 85 87 102 105 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne 470 455 460 525 525 90 87 89 101 101 
			 North Tyneside 230 230 210 275 285 57 57 53 69 71 
			 Northumberland 325 300 270 285 265 52 49 44 47 44 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 140 140 140 155 150 46 46 47 54 53 
			 South Tyneside 250 260 260 295 315 80 84 84 96 105 
			 Stockton-On-Tees 185 225 235 285 295 44 53 55 67 69 
			 Sunderland 415 390 395 390 410 71 67 68 69 73 
			            
			 North West 10,410 10,290 10,590 11,170 11,350 69 69 71 75 77 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 295 305 320 365 365 76 79 83 95 96 
			 Blackpool 265 280 325 375 395 88 93 109 128 136 
			 Bolton 405 420 435 480 520 65 68 70 77 83 
			 Bury 285 295 285 290 325 67 70 68 69 77 
		
	
	
		
			 Cheshire(5) 540 565 655 n/a n/a 37 39 45 n/a n/a 
			 Cheshire East(5) n/a n/a n/a 435 440 n/a n/a n/a 58 59 
			 Cheshire West and Chester(5) n/a n/a n/a 325 345 n/a n/a n/a 48 51 
			 Cumbria 470 480 450 510 505 46 48 45 52 53 
			 Halton 160 150 160 145 125 57 54 57 54 47 
			 Knowsley 295 305 305 295 285 81 87 87 87 85 
			 Lancashire 1,295 1,275 1,255 1,285 1,295 51 51 50 52 53 
			 Liverpool 860 845 860 920 940 96 96 99 108 111 
			 Manchester 1,480 1,430 1,405 1,425 1,385 158 151 148 149 142 
			 Oldham 390 340 325 345 335 71 62 59 63 61 
			 Rochdale 325 350 405 430 455 65 70 82 87 93 
			 Salford 570 530 490 495 580 122 115 105 106 123 
			 Sefton 325 315 365 375 380 55 54 64 67 70 
			 St Helens 320 315 325 355 345 81 81 84 93 91 
			 Stockport 330 310 315 315 295 54 51 52 52 49 
			 Tameside 330 310 330 350 375 68 64 68 73 78 
			 Trafford 215 235 235 250 265 46 49 50 52 54 
			 Warrington 185 200 245 265 245 43 46 57 61 57 
			 Wigan 400 425 485 510 465 60 64 73 77 71 
			 Wirral 670 610 625 630 680 97 89 92 93 102 
			            
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 6,540 6,530 6,720 7,060 7,300 59 59 61 64 66 
			 Barnsley 255 255 260 245 245 53 53 54 50 51 
			 Bradford 810 840 875 890 890 65 66 69 69 69 
			 Calderdale 260 250 270 270 320 57 55 60 59 70 
			 Doncaster 410 400 425 470 450 63 63 67 74 72 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 295 260 255 275 305 45 39 38 42 47 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 525 540 525 570 620 94 99 96 106 117 
			 Kirklees 385 445 505 555 590 41 47 54 59 62 
			 Leeds 1,355 1,360 1,335 1,420 1,450 88 89 88 93 95 
			 North East Lincolnshire 155 150 150 155 145 43 41 43 44 43 
			 North Lincolnshire 160 155 155 160 165 47 45 45 47 48 
			 North Yorkshire 425 410 415 470 475 34 34 34 39 40 
			 Rotherham 340 345 405 410 390 59 61 72 73 70 
			 Sheffield 665 635 590 580 625 62 60 56 54 59 
			 Wakefield 340 320 345 375 395 49 46 50 54 58 
			 York 155 170 200 225 235 45 48 58 64 67 
			            
			 East Midlands 3,680 3,730 3,910 4,200 4,430 39 40 42 45 48 
			 Derby 395 405 425 420 460 74 76 80 79 87 
			 Derbyshire 500 545 550 630 660 31 34 35 40 42 
			 Leicester 435 450 455 480 495 64 65 65 68 70 
			 Leicestershire 330 310 325 325 350 25 23 24 25 27 
			 Lincolnshire 525 530 540 525 490 37 38 39 38 35 
			 Northamptonshire 565 555 645 700 735 37 36 42 46 48 
			 Nottingham 465 475 475 520 520 83 85 85 93 92 
			 Nottinghamshire 440 455 480 575 685 27 28 30 36 43 
			 Rutland 20 15 20 30 35 24 15 19 32 37 
			            
			 West Midlands 7,310 7,370 7,630 8,010 8,180 61 61 64 67 68 
			 Birmingham 2,100 2,095 2,095 2,025 1,900 84 83 83 80 75 
			 Coventry 500 535 515 590 585 74 79 76 87 86 
			 Dudley 470 510 545 610 610 70 76 82 93 93 
			 Herefordshire 170 155 165 165 200 46 42 46 47 57 
			 Sandwell 500 480 475 510 545 74 71 70 74 79 
			 Shropshire 185 195 200 220 220 31 32 33 37 37 
			 Solihull 320 340 405 410 400 70 74 88 91 90 
			 Staffordshire 655 660 695 745 795 38 38 41 44 47 
			 Stoke-On-Trent 440 415 395 405 410 85 81 76 78 80 
			 Telford and Wrekin 230 230 250 270 270 60 61 66 71 71 
			 Walsall 430 445 465 495 520 71 74 77 82 85 
			 Warwickshire 455 485 540 585 635 41 43 48 53 57 
		
	
	
		
			 Wolverhampton 370 350 365 405 495 70 66 69 77 94 
			 Worcestershire 470 480 530 580 590 40 41 45 50 51 
			            
			 East of England 5,650 5,630 5,740 6,210 6,400 46 46 47 50 52 
			 Bedfordshire(5) 310 260 275 n/a n/a 34 29 30 n/a n/a 
			 Bedford Borough(5) n/a n/a n/a 165 165 n/a n/a n/a 46 46 
			 Central Bedfordshire(5) n/a n/a n/a 160 175 n/a n/a n/a 29 31 
			 Cambridgeshire 375 410 450 475 470 30 33 36 38 37 
			 Essex 1,235 1,270 1,330 1,465 1,580 42 43 45 49 53 
			 Hertfordshire 970 910 980 1,135 1,095 40 37 40 46 44 
			 Luton 380 385 340 340 385 81 82 72 70 78 
			 Norfolk 835 830 840 890 960 51 51 52 54 59 
			 Peterborough 375 350 315 300 310 96 90 80 75 76 
			 Southend-on-Sea 290 280 275 265 270 84 80 79 75 76 
			 Suffolk 695 725 715 785 785 46 48 48 52 52 
			 Thurrock 185 205 220 235 210 52 57 60 63 57 
			            
			 London 11,260 10,690 10,680 10,960 10,390 70 66 65 66 61 
			 Inner London 5,360 4,920 4,760 4,910 4,600 91 83 80 81 75 
			 Camden 345 275 270 265 275 89 72 69 67 69 
			 City of London 25 10 15 15 10 269 133 132 159 93 
			 Hackney 425 360 340 295 265 83 71 67 57 51 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 365 320 290 260 250 121 105 94 82 79 
			 Haringey 445 425 490 590 615 91 88 101 121 125 
			 Islington 365 330 305 315 325 109 99 92 94 94 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 200 175 165 155 130 69 60 55 52 43 
			 Lambeth 595 570 545 565 500 110 106 101 105 92 
			 Lewisham 455 465 465 525 485 81 82 81 90 81 
			 Newham 660 595 560 560 490 101 91 85 85 74 
			 Southwark 615 570 530 555 520 114 104 97 100 94 
			 Tower Hamlets 355 340 350 350 325 72 69 71 70 63 
			 Wandsworth 250 235 230 205 205 54 50 47 41 40 
			 Westminster 260 240 215 245 210 78 70 63 71 57 
			            
			 Outer London 5,890 5,770 5,920 6,050 5,780 57 56 56 57 54 
			 Barking and Dagenham 345 340 385 375 410 78 75 83 78 83 
			 Barnet 345 330 330 310 305 46 44 43 40 38 
			 Bexley 205 210 215 220 215 40 41 42 43 41 
			 Brent 405 365 360 370 385 72 66 64 65 66 
			 Bromley 265 260 250 285 265 40 39 37 42 39 
			 Croydon 990 1,045 1,070 1,005 845 125 132 134 125 104 
			 Ealing 440 395 395 400 385 68 61 60 60 56 
			 Enfield 290 255 260 280 305 43 38 38 40 42 
			 Greenwich 525 515 530 595 590 101 99 101 112 109 
			 Harrow 160 140 150 160 140 32 29 30 32 28 
			 Havering 185 190 200 200 200 37 38 39 39 39 
			 Hillingdon 500 475 450 425 385 86 82 76 71 63 
			 Hounslow 340 335 340 355 345 70 68 69 71 67 
			 Kingston Upon Thames 80 90 110 125 115 25 28 33 38 33 
			 Merton 95 105 115 135 130 24 26 28 33 31 
			 Redbridge 175 180 215 230 210 29 29 34 35 32 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 85 95 90 95 90 22 24 22 24 22 
			 Sutton 145 120 120 145 165 34 29 29 34 37 
			 Waltham Forest 330 325 335 335 310 63 61 63 62 56 
			            
			 South East 7,310 7,360 7,660 8,150 8,480 41 41 42 45 46 
			 Bracknell Forest 80 75 80 90 85 29 28 31 33 32 
			 Brighton and Hove 400 370 395 465 485 88 81 85 99 103 
			 Buckinghamshire 315 290 330 345 385 28 26 29 30 33 
			 East Sussex 435 445 480 530 585 42 43 46 51 57 
			 Hampshire 1,025 1,015 1,085 1,105 1,085 37 37 39 40 39 
			 Isle Of Wight 200 200 195 180 175 73 73 72 68 67 
		
	
	
		
			 Kent 1,240 1,355 1,420 1,475 1,695 40 44 46 47 54 
			 Medway Towns 340 330 310 350 425 57 55 52 60 73 
			 Milton Keynes 215 210 225 260 270 39 38 40 45 46 
			 Oxfordshire 410 405 410 450 430 30 30 30 33 31 
			 Portsmouth 265 260 285 290 315 68 68 74 76 82 
			 Reading 215 215 195 205 215 73 74 66 67 69 
			 Slough 135 120 135 175 170 46 42 45 56 53 
			 Southampton 295 270 290 375 385 70 63 67 86 89 
			 Surrey 750 790 820 765 735 32 33 34 32 30 
			 West Berkshire 115 115 95 125 125 33 32 27 34 34 
			 West Sussex 735 755 750 785 750 45 46 45 48 45 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 85 75 90 105 105 26 22 27 32 31 
			 Wokingham 65 70 65 80 70 19 19 19 22 20 
			            
			 South West 4,560 4,520 4,710 5,000 5,160 43 43 45 47 49 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 130 130 120 140 160 38 38 35 41 47 
			 Bournemouth 145 160 180 205 200 51 56 62 69 68 
			 Bristol, City of 635 665 650 645 680 81 84 82 80 84 
			 Cornwall 465 415 460 450 475 45 40 44 43 45 
			 Devon 585 555 540 615 645 40 38 37 43 45 
			 Dorset 255 280 265 275 275 31 35 33 34 34 
			 Gloucestershire 400 390 465 490 485 32 31 38 40 39 
			 Isles Of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Somerset 160 175 195 225 230 38 41 46 53 53 
			 Plymouth 390 370 380 435 375 77 74 76 87 76 
			 Poole 110 105 115 120 135 38 37 41 42 47 
			 Somerset 385 375 395 430 450 34 33 36 39 41 
			 South Gloucestershire 170 170 180 185 210 30 31 32 33 38 
			 Swindon 255 220 240 245 235 60 52 55 56 53 
			 Torbay 185 175 180 180 220 71 67 70 71 86 
			 Wiltshire 295 335 340 355 385 29 33 33 35 38 
			 n/a = Not applicable. (1) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. (2) Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. (3) England and Regional totals have been rounded to the nearest 10. Other numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. See Technical Notes for more information on rounding. (4) The rates per 10,000 children under 18 years have been derived using the mid-year population estimates for 2010 provided by the Office for National Statistics. (5) In 2009, Cheshire local authority split into Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester. Similarly, Bedfordshire LA split into Bedford and Central Bedfordshire. Source: SSDA 903

Children: Hyperactivity

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the effects of (a) attention deficit disorder and (b) hyperactivity on educational attainment among school pupils.

Sarah Teather: The Department has not made an assessment of the effects of attention deficit disorder or hyperactivity on educational attainment among school pupils. However, the recent Green Paper, “Support and aspiration: a new approach to special educational needs and disability”, sets out plans to improve the early identification of and support for pupils with special educational needs. Proposals include sharpening the focus on special educational needs within the standards for qualified teacher status and increasing the number of initial teacher training placements in special schools.
	Maintaining and improving SEN skills through continual professional development (CPD) is equally a priority for the Government. The Training and Development Agency for Schools is currently developing online CPD materials for teachers on dyslexia; behavioural, emotional and social difficulties; and speech, language and communication needs. These build on the successful Inclusion Development programme materials which have helped teachers and other staff become more confident in identifying SEN and disabilities and responding appropriately.

Children: Mental Health

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the mental health of children;
	(2)  how many letters on child mental health he has received in the last six months.

Sarah Teather: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), regularly meets the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), in various forums to discuss a wide range of topics.
	The Department for Education receives a large volume of letters across the breadth of its policy areas. The Department is unable to determine accurate figures without interrogating the entire correspondence system which would exceed the disproportionate costs threshold set for PQs.

Child Protection

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will ensure that the forthcoming revised Working Together guidance enables professionals to have adequate time to undertake thorough assessments in cases of child neglect.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The Government response to Professor Eileen Munro's final report into the review of Child Protection “A child-centred system” committed to a major revision of the statutory guidance “Working Together to Safeguard Children” and the “Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families” by July 2012.
	Eight local authorities are currently trialling more flexible approaches to assessments that focus on timeliness and the quality of assessment, rather than being driven by prescriptive time scales. These more flexible approaches are intended to enable social workers to focus more closely on outcomes for vulnerable children and to complete robust assessments.
	The trials are due to finish on 1 December.
	Professor Munro stressed the importance of professionals making a proportionate assessment that delivers an accurate understanding of a child's needs and circumstances in order to inform effective planning and the delivery of early help services. Government are committed to building on these principles which are being tested by the trial local authorities, the results of which will be used to inform the revised Working Together guidance on assessment. Subject to this evidence, an interim amendment to “Working Together to Safeguard Children” will be made in December 2011.
	The Government have committed to work in partnership with the sector to revise “Working Together to Safeguard Children” by July 2012. A full, formal consultation will commence from early 2012. A multi-disciplinary Professional Advisory Group has been convened and is advising on proposed revisions to the statutory guidance.

Advertising: Job Vacancies

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department has spent on advertising job vacancies since May 2010.

Tim Loughton: The Department has spent £29,192 on job advertising since May 2010.
	Spend in 2009/10 was £72,611 and £166,737 in 2008/09.

Freedom of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education in how many responses to requests for information received by his Department under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the reason of (a) commercially sensitive information, (b) information not held, (c) information too costly to provide and (d) vexatious or repeated requests has been given in response since January 2010.

Tim Loughton: This information is available on the Ministry of Justice website. Quarterly and annual statistics on Freedom of Information requests can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/foi/implementation-editions.htm
	and copies are available in the House Libraries. Information for the third and fourth quarters of 2011 is not yet available.

Public Sector: Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many officials in his Department received a pay rise other than by promotion in the last two years; and what the average increase was in each such year.

Tim Loughton: In 2010/11, 2,551 staff received a pay rise covering the last year of a 2008/10 pay deal. The Department then entered a two-year pay freeze in 2011/12. 170 staff on full-time equivalent earnings of under £21,000 a year received a pay rise of £250 in 2011/12.
	The average increase for 2010/11 was £1,404 and £250 for 2011/12.

Public Sector: Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many officials in his Department received a bonus in each year since 2007.

Tim Loughton: Information for non-consolidated performance payments made in the Department and its predecessor, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, since 2007 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Department and predecessor Departments Average number of staff on payroll and eligible for a bonus Total number of staff receiving bonus 
			 2011/12 Department for Education 2,950 651 
			 2010/11 Department for Education (from 12 May 2010) 2,740 1,381 
			 2009/10 Department for Children, Schools and Families (until 11 May 2010) 3,030 1,434 
			 2008/09 Department for Children, Schools and Families 2,821 1,405 
			 2007/08 Department for Education and Skills 2,900 1,235

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications from employees to run services for which his Department is directly responsible he has received since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: There have, to date, been no applications from employees of the Department for Education to run those services for which the Secretary of State is directly responsible.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to provide funding for students who were previously eligible for education maintenance allowance.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 24 O c tober 2011
	From September 2011, the new 16-19 Bursary Fund will allow schools, colleges and training providers to target support to those young people facing the greatest financial barriers to participation. The most vulnerable young people are eligible for a bursary of £1,200 a year—more than they could have received under education maintenance allowance (EMA). Providers can then award bursaries on a discretionary basis to help meet the costs of transport, meals, books, equipment or any course-related costs.
	We have also put in place transitional arrangements to ensure that the majority of students who received EMA in 2010/11 can continue to receive weekly payments through to the end of the 2011/12 academic year.

English Baccalaureate

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2011, Official Report, column 44W, on English Baccalaureate, what his Department's commissioned research on the impact of the English Baccalaureate indicates its specific effect has been on the take-up of each subject not included in the scope of the English Baccalaureate.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 15 November 2011
	The results of the Department's research were published on 31 August 2011. The research does not provide evidence which could be used to draw robust conclusions about the take-up of individual subjects not included in the scope of the English Baccalaureate. Schools were asked to indicate whether any subjects or courses had been withdrawn from the curriculum or failed to recruit enough pupils for the next academic year. Just under half (45%) of schools reported that one or more courses or subjects had been withdrawn. These schools were asked to detail the courses or subjects in question. Not all schools gave details; some that did said that these courses were under review and not necessarily being discontinued and some did not supply a complete list of the courses or subjects under consideration. As such, while the evidence indicates significant increases in take-up of English Baccalaureate subjects, it does not show the effect on take-up of individual subjects not included within its scope.
	The research report can be viewed at:
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/RSG/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-RB150
	Copies have also been placed in the House Libraries.
	We will continue to monitor the impact of the English Baccalaureate on GCSE subject choices, including through review of GCSE entries in 2012.

Free School Meals

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of school pupils were (a) eligible for and (b) claimed free school meals in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Number and percentage of pupils (1, 2 ) known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals, January 2011 
			  Maintained nursery, state-funded primary (3, 4, ) state-funded secondary (3, 5) , special schools (6)  and pupil referral units 
			  Number on roll Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			 2011 6,803,755 1,227,110 18.0 
			 (1) Includes sole and dual (main) registrations. In pupil referral units also includes pupils registered with other providers and further education colleges. (2) Includes pupils who have full-time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part-time attendance and are aged between five and 15 (age as at 31 August). (3) Includes middle schools as deemed. (4) Includes primary academies. (5) Includes city technology colleges and academies, including all through academies. (6) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. Note: Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: School Census. 
		
	
	Information on the number of pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals as at January 2011 is published in table 3b of the Statistical First Release ‘Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics, January 2011' available at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001012/index.shtml
	It is not known how many pupils are eligible for free school meals but do not claim.

Free School Meals

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children qualified for free school meals on the basis of their household being in receipt of child tax credit, having an annual income that does not exceed £16,190 and not being in receipt of income support, jobseekers allowance, employment and support allowance or the guarantee element of state pension credit in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not hold information on the number of children who qualify for free school meals under each benefit. School census data from January 2011 show the number known to be eligible and claiming free school meals, under all criteria in maintained nursery, state-funded primary, secondary and special schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision, is 1,267,605.

Free School Meals

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to publish the evaluation of the free school meal pilot projects in (a) Durham, (b) the London Borough of Newham and (c) Wolverhampton.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education expects to publish the evaluation of the free school meal pilot projects in the summer term of 2012.

Further Education

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the recommendations of the British Chambers of Commerce report Skills for business: more to learn, whether his Department plans to incorporate enterprise skills and employability in the main curriculum.

Nick Gibb: The core principle of Enterprise education is to ensure young people are well equipped to face the challenges of the world of work, employability and entrepreneurship, resulting in a positive outcome for pupils and employers. Increasing schools' autonomy and reducing unnecessary burdens on schools is central to our mission and as part of the growth review, we have been talking to employers about how the education and skills system can best contribute to economic growth.
	Enterprise education is part of the economic well-being strand of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education and schools incorporate and embed enterprise education across the wider curriculum.
	In addition to this, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is developing online resources for teachers that will enable them to support students in setting up school businesses and access support from local enterprise champions.

Further Education: Disadvantaged

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to allow further education colleges access to his Department’s free school meals eligibility checking service.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has worked closely with other Government Departments to develop a free school meals eligibility checking system (ECS). This has made it much easier for parents to apply for free school meals (FSM) and to reduce the stigma that can be associated with applying for them. The ECS enables local authorities to check data simultaneously from the Department for Work and Pensions, Home Office and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs in order to ascertain whether a parent qualifies for FSM and removes the need for paper proof of benefit. An increasing number of local authorities allow parents to apply online for FSM and receive immediate notification of their eligibility.
	The ECS reduces the burdens on schools associated with FSM administration. It was introduced as a direct result of a Cabinet Office report that called for a reduction in the involvement of school staff in administering FSM. As a consequence, the use of the ECS is restricted to local authorities.
	Free school meals are provided to eligible pupils aged up to 18 years in schools maintained by a local authority, as defined in the Education Act 1996. Pupils aged 19 or over are also eligible as long as their course of study began before attaining the age of 18. Pupils attending further education (FE) or sixth-form colleges are not eligible for free school meals. FE or sixth-form colleges wishing to access information on students’ prior eligibility for free school meals would need to discuss appropriate arrangements with the relevant local authority.

Music: Education

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what plans his Department has to support the Sing Up programme in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of progress with his plan to develop a procurement strategy for musical instruments;
	(3)  what provision his Department has made for funding music education in each of the next four years;
	(4)  what steps he is taking to develop whole class ensemble teaching programmes in schools.

Nick Gibb: holding answers 14 November 2011
	We will shortly publish a National Plan for Music Education, which will reform the delivery and funding of music education. It will ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to learn an instrument, learn to sing, have opportunities to play in ensembles and have access to musical progression routes regardless of where they live and their family circumstances. The needs of the pupil will be at the heart of the plan, ensuring that all pupils have access to high quality music education.

Offences against Children

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to provide information for parents on child sexual exploitation;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of local safeguarding children boards who are meeting their responsibilities under statutory guidance to safeguard children and young people from sexual exploitation;
	(3)  what joint work his Department is undertaking with the Home Office to tackle child sexual exploitation.

Tim Loughton: Child sexual exploitation is an appalling form of child abuse. The Department has been working closely with the Home Office and other Government Departments, and with a range of national and local organisations, to develop a national action plan to tackle it. I hope to publish that action plan shortly.
	Child sexual exploitation can affect any family and can have a devastating impact. One key aim of the action plan will be to increase parents' awareness and understanding of the risks and what they can do to help protect their children. The action plan will also make it clear that, when children do become victims, parents and carers have a vital role to play in supporting them and helping them to recover from their experiences and rebuild their lives.
	The role of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) is central to tackling child sexual exploitation but recent research by the University of Bedfordshire indicated that only a quarter of them are implementing the statutory guidance issued in 2009. The action plan will contain a clear message that every LSCB needs to treat child sexual exploitation as a priority and to assure itself that local services are based on a robust assessment of the local situation.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use of the pupil premium to enable children from deprived backgrounds to experience and learn about the natural environment.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The pupil premium has been allocated to schools to boost the attainment of pupils from low income families. The Government believe it is for schools to decide how the premium is spent since they are best placed to know their pupils' needs and assess what support will help them achieve their full potential. Schools are therefore free to use the premium to offer opportunities for pupils to experience and learn about the natural environment where they feel this is appropriate.

Safety: Education

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department provides for child health and safety education schemes.

Nick Gibb: The Department has made £128,000 available to Safe Network, a consortium of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), Children England, and the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT). This grant will enable Safe Network to provide advice and assistance to voluntary and community sector organisations in England on safeguarding issues, and to help them address these issues locally. Within Safe Network, the CAPT has taken the lead on tackling childhood unintentional injury and accident prevention through this funding.

Schools

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to promote sustainable schools.

Tim Loughton: The Department believes that schools perform better when they take responsibility for their own improvement. Schools should make their own judgments on how to reflect sustainable development in their ethos, operations and curriculum. Those judgments should be based on sound knowledge and local needs.
	Advice for schools on sustainable development is available on the Department for Education's website.
	http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/policiesandprocedures/a0070736/what-is-sustainable-development
	We also work closely with the Sustainable Schools Alliance. They are working together to provide a clear and compelling offer of support available to all schools in the country.

Schools: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what new schools have been proposed for Bassetlaw through the Priority School Building Programme; and at what cost;
	(2)  how many schools in Bassetlaw with asbestos will not receive funding to deal with it under the Priority School Building Programme.

Nick Gibb: holding answers 21 October 2011
	No proposals for brand new schools for Bassetlaw have been submitted for the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP). However, there is an assumption that schools funded through PSPB would need to have at least 70% new build to be viable as privately financed projects—effectively defining them as ‘new' schools. The schools in Bassetlaw listed as follows have been submitted for the programme .
	Hallcroft Infant School
	Tuxford Primary School
	Dyscarr Primary School
	Carr Hill Primary School
	Sutton-cum-Lound CE Primary School
	Kingston Park Primary School
	St Swithun's CE Primary School
	Misterton Primary School
	Rampton Primary School
	Cost information on projects is not yet available. This will be produced in consultation with the schools and local authorities as part of the outline business case development.
	PSBP aims to address school buildings in the very worst condition. Asbestos containing materials that are maintained in good condition and in accordance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations are not recommended for routine removal.

Schools: Community Relations

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on how many occasions he has intervened in the actions of individual schools in respect of implementation of the Prevent Strategy; how many such occasions have concerned (a) Islam, (b) other religions and (c) far right extremism; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 31 October 2011
	The Prevent Strategy sets out a programme of work for the Department for Education designed to ensure that children and young people do not come into contact with extremist views in schools or in out of school settings. The Prevent Strategy does not in itself confer powers of intervention in schools on the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove). His powers to intervene in schools are set out in relevant education legislation and, in the case of academies, in funding agreements. The Secretary of State for Education will exercise his powers of intervention as appropriate whenever he has concerns that a school is not meeting, or may not meet, the regulatory requirements for any reason.

Schools: Religion

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether schools can apply for a determination to hold assemblies inclusive of all religions or beliefs in place of collective worship; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Maintained schools must provide a daily act of collective worship which is broadly Christian. The legislation allows them to hold a daily act of collective worship that is appropriate to the age and backgrounds of their pupils and which may therefore refer to other religions as long as the main act of collective worship is broadly Christian. In addition, if they consider that broadly Christian provision would be inappropriate for their school population, they may apply for a determination to the local Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education to provide collective worship which is distinctive of a different faith, or worship that is inclusive of more than one faith. The law in this instance does not apply to academies, but all academies are bound by their funding agreements which require that academies provide for a daily act of collective worship which is broadly Christian in nature. Academies can also apply to the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), for a determination to lift the requirement for broadly Christian provision.

Schools: Sports

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of school children in years one to 11 participated in competitive sport in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The annual PE and Sport Survey collected data on pupils’ participation in PE and sport. While participation rates increased in areas targeted by the previous Government, the proportion of pupils playing competitive sport regularly remained disappointingly low. This is why we have introduced our new approach to promoting competitive school sport through the creation of the School games. Copies of the PE and Sport Survey for 2009/10 are in the House Libraries. The data relating to pupils’ participation in competitive sport can be found in section 4.

Schools: Sports

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to measure participation in school in (a) general school sports and games activities, (b) intra-school sports and (c) inter-school sports following the abolition of School Sports Partnerships; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: We have removed from schools the burden of having to fill in long, time-consuming and cumbersome sport survey returns, which was a requirement under the previous Government. Instead, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), will introduce a much lighter-touch system of measurement, focusing specifically on schools’ participation in competitive sport as part of the School games. In addition, there will be an independent impact study of the School games which will sample trends in schools’ participation. The details of these are currently being developed.
	The take up of competitive school sport will also continue to be measured by Sport England’s Taking Part survey.

Teachers: Pensions

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what formal valuation has been made of the Teachers' Pension Scheme in the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The latest valuation of the teachers' pension scheme was published in November 2006. This was the actuarial review of the scheme as at 31 March 2004.

Teachers: Pensions

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he last commissioned an actuarial evaluation of teachers' pensions; and when he proposes to next commission one.

Nick Gibb: The Government put valuations of the public service pension schemes on hold while the consultation on the discount rate used to calculate contribution rates was taking place. The outcome of the consultation was announced in Budget 2011, but valuations remain on hold. Valuations are dependent on assumptions about the value of future costs, design of benefits and other factors. Many of these are currently under review as part of the Government's proposed reforms of the public sector pension schemes. A decision on when to undertake the next valuation of the teachers' pension scheme will be taken in due course. The last valuation of the teachers' pension scheme was published in November 2006. This was the actuarial review of the scheme as at 31 March 2004.

Teachers: Pensions

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme are (a) part-time, (b) full-time, (c) male, (d) female, (e) active members and (f) deferred members/pensioners.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 14 November 2011
	Figures from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme Account 2010-11 show that the membership of the scheme is broken down as shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Male Female Full-time Part-time 
			  Total Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
			 Active members 658,351 195,530 29.7 462,821 70.3 470,063 71.4 188,288 28.6 
			 Deferred members 426,496 126,348 29.6 300,148 70.4 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			 Pensions in payment 588,441 223,608 38 364,833 62 n/a n/a n/a n/a

Teachers: Pensions

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether a decision has been made on whether to exclude teachers at independent schools from eligibility to join the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

Nick Gibb: The Independent Public Service Pensions Commission (IPSPC) made a recommendation about future access by non-public service workers to public service pension schemes.
	The Government have accepted the commission’s recommendations as a basis for consultation and the issue of private sector access to the public service schemes is one that is still to be determined. Consultation will take place before any decisions are made and that will include detailed discussions with representatives of all stakeholders including those in the independent schools sector.

Teachers: Qualifications

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the difference in teaching performance of teachers who graduated with first class honours degrees compared to those with a 2:1 or 2:2 degree.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 14 November 2011
	National and international evidence shows that teachers' level of prior education is directly linked to standards of attainment of their pupils. Analysis also shows that degree class is a good predictor of whether a trainee will complete their course and achieve qualified teacher status. The best performing countries draw their teachers from the highest achieving third of graduates.
	Most graduate recruiters in England use degree class as part of assessing applicants for admission to training. Under the initial teacher training (ITT) requirements, all providers must ensure that entrants, as part of the provider's selection procedures, have taken part in an interview designed to assess their suitability to teach. Degree class is, of course, not the only approach to measuring an individual's potential to teach. ITT providers will continue to assess candidates against a full range of factors.

Teachers: Termination of Employment

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on the reasons for teachers leaving (a) a school and (b) the teaching profession.

Nick Gibb: The School Workforce Census, run for the first time in November 2010, contained information on the destination of teachers whose contracts had ended; this is provided in the following table.
	The data provided should be treated with a high degree of caution since schools were unable to provide destination information for 38% of teachers finishing contracts in this first collection of the census. We, therefore, recommend that the data be used as an illustration of trends rather than quoted in absolute terms for this first year of the data collection.
	
		
			 Reasons given for a teacher's contract ending during the 2009/10 academic year. Coverage: Head count of teachers in publicly funded schools in England 
			 Description of destination Number Percentage 
			 Remaining in the publicly funded schools sector   
			 Change of contract, (remaining in the same school) 19,640 16.0 
			 Remaining in the same LA area—other (Including Central Staff(1)) 2,150 1.8 
			 Remaining in the same LA area—primary school 20,300 16.6 
			 Remaining in the same LA area—secondary school 11,040 9.0 
			 Move to another LA area—other (including central staff(1)) 540 0.4 
			 Move to another LA area—primary school 4,330 3.5 
			 Move to another LA area—secondary school 4,570 3.7 
			 Total 62,570 51.1 
			    
			 Other education sector employment   
			 University, FE/HE college in UK 230 0.2 
			 Independent school 620 0.5 
			 Sixth form college—same LA area 60 0.1 
			 Education post outside UK 1,360 1.1 
			 Sixth form college—other LA area 90 0.1 
			 Total 2,370 1.9 
			    
			 Employment outside the education sector   
			 Non-education employment—other employment 430 0.3 
			 Non-education employment—public sector 160 0.1 
			 Non-education employment—self-employment 180 0.1 
			 Total 770 0.6 
			    
			 Other   
			 Retirement—normal age 4,930 4.0 
			 Retirement—ill health 470 0.4 
			 Retirement—premature 2,980 2.4 
			 Maternity/paternity/break for family reasons 1,400 1.1 
			 Deceased 210 0.2 
			 None 280 0.2 
			 Total 10,270 8.4 
			    
			 Unknown destinations   
			 Other unspecified destination 12,690 10.4 
			 Not known 30,110 24.6 
			 No destination information supplied (missing) 3,690 3.0 
			 Total 46,490 38.0 
		
	
	
		
			 Total all contracts 122,460 100.0 
			 (1) Central staff are those teachers employed directly by local authorities and are not attached. Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Workforce Census

Teachers: Training

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of entrants to the teaching profession, starting in (a) maintained primary schools and (b) maintained secondary schools had previously undertaken (i) a Postgraduate Certificate of Education course, (ii) the Graduate Teacher Programme, (iii) a Bachelor of Education course, (iv) a BA/BSc with Qualified Teacher Status course, (v) the Teach First programme and (vi) another entry course or programme for each of the last 10 years.

Nick Gibb: The following table provides the proportion of entrants in service by phase and initial teacher training route in March of each year from 2000 to 2009. The figures include teachers who had entered service after acquiring qualified teacher status, (QTS), through college based training and those who had entered service and were working towards QTS status on Employment Based Routes to QTS.
	
		
			 Proportion of newly qualified entrants i n service in March of  each year (1) , by phase and initial teacher training route .  Years: March 2000 to March 2009. Coverage: England 
			  Post Graduate Certificate of Education Graduate Teachers Scheme Batchelor of Education and other undergraduate courses leading to QTS status (2) 
			  Nursery/primary Secondary Nursery/primary Secondary Nursery/primary Secondary 
			 March       
			 2000 40 86 (5)— (5)— 60 14 
			 2001 46 87 (5)— (5)— 54 13 
			 2002 45 71 (5)— (5)— 43 10 
			 2003 45 71 (5)— (5)— 41 8 
			 2004 45 68 18 24 35 7 
			 2005 47 67 17 21 30 6 
			 2006 50 66 17 22 27 6 
			 2007 47 64 17 22 28 6 
			 2008 45 63 17 23 32 7 
			 2009 45 62 16 24 33 7 
		
	
	
		
			  Teach First Other employment based routes to QTS status (3,4) Total 
			  Nursery/primary Secondary Nursery/primary Secondary Nursery/primary Secondary 
			 March       
			 2000 (5)— (5)— (6)— (6)— 100 100 
			 2001 (5)— (5)— (6)— (6)— 100 100 
			 2002 (5)— (5)— 13 19 100 100 
			 2003 (5)— (5)— 14 21 100 100 
			 2004 (5)— (5)— 1 0 100 100 
			 2005 (5)— (5)— 7 6 100 100 
			 2006 0 1 6 5 100 100 
			 2007 0 2 8 6 100 100 
			 2008 0 2 6 5 100 100 
			 2009 0 3 5 4 100 100 
			 (1) All teachers were in service in March of each year having qualified in the previous calendar year or had entered service and were on the Graduate Teacher Scheme, Teacher First or other employment based routes to QTS. (2) Includes teachers on BA/BSc courses leading to QTS status. These cannot be separately identified within the data. (3 )Includes teachers on the Overseas Trained Teacher and Registered Teacher Programmes. (4) For undergraduate employment based route to QTS the numbers in the first year of the course are counted. (5) Not applicable. (6) Not available. Source: DTR and TDA performance profiles.

Teachers: Training

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what provision for the training of teachers who work in schools registered as special schools is placed for those going through initial teacher training.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 15 November 2011
	All teachers with qualified teacher status (QTS) should receive a specific element of training on special educational needs and disability (SEND) as part of their initial teacher training (ITT). The standards for the award of QTS set out what trainee teachers must know, understand and be able to do in both maintained schools and non-maintained special schools in which holders of QTS may teach. Trainees will be supported in addressing all the standards through taught sessions and guidance in schools, for example, working with SEN co-ordinators and reviewing statements of special needs with other teachers.
	Teacher training providers may also choose to offer an additional specialism in SEN by offering training that takes place in a special school.
	The Green Paper: “Support and Aspiration: A New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability” has made a number of commitments to improve the quality of the SEND training provision. This includes providing additional funding for initial teacher training providers to secure a greater number of placements for trainee teachers in special school settings.
	There is no statutory requirement within ITT to prepare teachers for working in special schools.

Young People: Music

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with Arts Council England on steps to ensure that young people and children participate in live music making.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 10 November 2011
	We will shortly publish a National Plan for Music Education, which puts the needs of the pupil at the heart of a new delivery system. In preparing the plan, we consulted many music education stakeholders, including the Arts Council England.
	The Government are fully committed to the provision of high quality music education and believe that every child should have opportunities to learn to play a musical instrument, learn to sing, have opportunities to play in ensembles and have access to musical progression routes regardless of where they live and their family circumstances. An important part of music education is for children to take part in performances from an early stage.

Young People: Unemployment

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people aged between 16 and 19 years were not in education, employment or training in St Helens South and Whiston constituency in each of the last five years.

Tim Loughton: The official national estimates of the number and proportion of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) in England are published by the Department in a Statistical First Release (SFR) each June. However, these data cannot be disaggregated to local authority or parliamentary constituency level because they are in part based on sample data for employment.
	We can estimate the number and proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds NEET at a sub-national level using data collected by local authorities, but the figures are not available at parliamentary constituency level.
	The figures for 16 to 18-year-olds who were NEET in each year between 2006/07 and 2010/11, for the Knowsley and St Helens local authorities, are shown in the following table.
	Note:
	Due to methodological differences, estimates for young people NEET based on local authority data tend to be lower than the official estimates for NEET in the SFR.
	
		
			 Number and proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds NEET (actual age) 
			  Average number and percentage NEET in the three months November to January 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			  No % No % No % No % No % 
			 Knowsley 687 13.7 695 15.0 651 14.4 437 10.6 432 11.4 
			 St Helens 684 10.0 585 8.5 565 8.1 505 7.5 458 7.0 
			 Note: Figures for 19-year-olds are not available. Source: CCIS.

Youth Services

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department has spent on improving the capabilities of local authorities in commissioning young people's services in each of the last three years; and what proportion of local authority spending on young people's services was allocated to service providers other than local authorities themselves in each of the last three years.

Tim Loughton: In the three years 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2010-11 the Commissioning Support programme, sponsored by the Department and the Department of Health, provided £7 million, £10 million and £6 million respectively to improve commissioning of services for children, young people and families across England. Information on the proportion spent specifically on commissioning young people's services was not collected separately.
	Information collected from local authorities indicates that in 2008-09 and 2009-10 around 25% and 27% respectively of expenditure on services to children, young people and families was allocated to voluntary or private sector providers. Information on the proportion spent specifically on services to young people was not collected separately in these years. Financial returns showing outturn spend in 2010-11 will be published later this financial year.

CABINET OFFICE

Charities Act 2006

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he expects to announce (a) his review of the Charities Act 2006 and (b) the objectives and process for this review; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: In line with the requirement in section 73 of the Charities Act 2006, Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts has been appointed to undertake the review of the Charities Act 2006. The review will be independent and broad in scope, and I have arranged for a copy of the review terms of reference to be placed in the House Library. Lord Hodgson will set out in due course how charities and other interested parties can contribute to the review. The review is expected to report before the summer recess in 2012, and the report of the review will be laid before Parliament.

Charities: Trustees

David Nuttall: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to enable trustees of charities who are prepared to act on a voluntary basis to replace professional trustees who charge for their services.

Nick Hurd: The overwhelming majority of charity trustees are unpaid and should be applauded for their voluntary work. In general, charity trustees can only be paid for acting as a trustee where it is specifically authorised by the charity's governing document, or by the Charity Commission or the court. Such arrangements are for the charity or its founders to justify, ensuring that they are in the best interests of the charity.
	Where a charity's founder has established arrangements in the charity's governing document for it to be administered by paid trustees, provided the fees are reasonable for the work undertaken, the Charity Commission cannot intervene.

Civil Servants: Pensions

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of (a) male and (b) female active members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme earn up to £15,000 but have a full-time equivalent salary of more than £15,000.

Francis Maude: holding answer 15 November 2011
	There are (a) 8,420 male and (b) 51,223 female active members of the PCSPS earning up to £15,000, but with a full-time equivalent salary of more than £15,000.

Ministers: Pensions

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether any Minister who has resigned or lost their job due to misconduct has had their pension accrued while in office withheld since May 2010.

Francis Maude: Ministers are eligible to be members of the ministerial section of the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF), which is a scheme made by the Minister for the civil service under schedule 6 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.
	The scheme contains no power to withhold pensions in cases of misconduct. Therefore no Minister, in this or previous administrations, has had their pension accrued in office withheld following their resignation or losing their job due to misconduct.

Pancreatic Cancer: Stockton-on-Tees

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many patients in the borough of Stockton (a) were diagnosed with and (b) died from pancreatic cancer in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many patients in the borough of Stockton (a) were diagnosed with and (b) died from pancreatic cancer in each of the last 5 years.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2009. Please note that the number of pancreatic cases may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with cancer, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one cancer.
	The latest figures for deaths are for the year 2010. It is not possible from the information given at death registration to state whether the deceased was a patient at the time of death.
	Table 1 provides the number of (a) newly diagnosed cases of pancreatic cancer from 2005 to 2009 and Table 2 provides the number of (b) deaths from pancreatic cancer for each year from 2005 to 2010, for Stockton on Tees unitary authority.
	The latest published figures on the incidence of cancer in England and death registrations in England and Wales are available on the National Statistics website.
	Cancer incidence:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/cancer-statistics-registrations--england--series-mb1-/no--40--2009/index.html
	Death registrations:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html? definition=tcm%3A77-27475
	
		
			 Table 1: Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of pancreatic cancer, persons, Stockton-on-Tees unitary authority, 2005-09 (1, 2, 3, 4) 
			 Cancer registrations 
			  Incidence 
			 2005 25 
			 2006 23 
			 2007 22 
			 2008 29 
			 2009 22 
			 (1) Pancreatic cancer is coded as C25 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (2) Based on boundaries as of 2011. (3) Figures exclude non-residents. (4) Newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of deaths where the underlying cause was pancreatic cancer, in Stockton-on-Tees unitary authority, 2005-10 (1, 2, 3, 4) 
			 Persons 
			  Deaths 
			 2005 23 
			 2006 26 
			 2007 27 
			 2008 24 
			 2009 24 
			 2010 27 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code C25. (2) Based on boundaries as of 2011. (3) Figures exclude deaths of non-residents. (4) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Unemployment: Great Yarmouth

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in Great Yarmouth were registered unemployed for two years or longer in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, (d) 2009, (e) 2010 and (f) 2011.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people in Great Yarmouth were registered unemployed for two years or longer (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, (d) 2009, (e) 2010 and (f) 2011. (81506)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of people resident in Great Yarmouth who were unemployed for two years or longer are not available.
	As an alternative, in Table 1 we have provided the number of people who have been claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for over 104 weeks resident in Great Yarmouth Parliamentary Constituency in September of each year from 2006 to 2011.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and JSA count are available on the Nomis website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of people1 resident in Great Yarmouth constituency who were claiming jobseeker's allowance for over 104 weeks. 
			 September Level 
			 2006 205 
			 2007 165 
			 2008 65 
			 2009 40 
			 2010 150 
			 2011 150 
			 (1) Computerised claims only. These account for approximately 99.7% of all claims. Note: Data rounded to nearest five. Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system

TRANSPORT

A14: Suffolk

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria have been set in respect of the information to be displayed on electronic information signs on the A14 in Suffolk; and whether (a) anti-littering messages and (b) other non-traffic public information will be displayed.

Michael Penning: Information displayed on the electronic information signs (known as variable message signs), including those on the A14 in Suffolk, must meet the criteria detailed in section 64 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
	A trial is currently under way on other selected sections of the strategic road network to trial three anti-littering messages and test their effectiveness before they are considered for wider use within England.
	The Act does not allow electronic information signs to be used for non-traffic information.

Ministerial Meetings

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether (a) she, (b) her Ministers and (c) officials of her Department have met (i) Mr Michael Hintze, (ii) Mr Tony Buckingham, (iii) Mr Michael Davis, (iv) Mr Poju Zabludowicz, (v) Mr Jon Moulton and (vi) Mr Stephen Crouch; and where any such meetings took place.

Norman Baker: There have been no meetings between the Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), any Ministers in the Department or officials and Mr Michael Hintze, Mr Tony Buckingham, Mr Michael Davis, Mr Poju Zabludowicz, Jon Moulton and Stephen Crouch.
	Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/ministerial-transparency/#meetings

Ministerial Meetings

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether (a) she, (b) officials of her Department and (c) special advisers in her Department have met Mr Adam Werritty on official business since May 2010; and how many such meetings took place (i) on her Department’s premises and (ii) elsewhere.

Norman Baker: There have been no meetings between the Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), any officials in the Department or special advisers and Mr Adam Werritty within the specified time scale.
	Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/ministerial-transparency/#meetings

Air Travel Organisers’ Licence

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have had with online travel agencies to discuss her Department's proposed reforms to the ATOL scheme.

Theresa Villiers: Over the past year Ministers and officials have held a number of meetings with individual travel agents and tour operators, many of whom conduct business online, to discuss the proposed reforms to the ATOL scheme. Ministers and officials have also met with industry organisations that represent tour operators and travel agents, including those that operate online.

Air Travel Organisers’ Licence

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department has made of the time required by travel agencies to implement ATOL scheme reforms; and how many agencies she estimates may be in breach when the reforms are introduced in 2012.

Theresa Villiers: Having listened to the concerns of the travel industry about the time required to prepare for the planned reforms to the ATOL scheme, I announced on 25 October that the proposed new regulations would now come into force in April 2012 instead of on 1 January, as was originally proposed.
	I made the change of implementation date to provide businesses with more time to make the necessary changes to their IT systems and other processes to comply with the regulations. This is aimed at ensuring that the reforms are implemented fully and consistently and in a way that minimises the scope for error and subsequent confusion among passengers. I expect to announce a final decision on the other aspects of the reforms shortly.
	On 14 November the Civil Aviation Authority published more detailed information about how the ATOL reforms would work in practice, which should assist businesses with their preparations.

Air Travel Organisers’ Licence

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department has conducted an assessment of the cost for online travel agencies of implementing her proposed reforms of the ATOL scheme.

Theresa Villiers: An impact assessment was published alongside the ATOL Reform consultation document.
	A revised impact assessment will be published when a final decision on the reforms consulted on is announced shortly. This will incorporate relevant information from consultation responses about the cost of implementing the reforms for travel trade businesses, including those that operate online.

Aviation: Safety

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to tackle pilot fatigue.

Theresa Villiers: Under EU Regulation 3922/91 all airlines are required to have a flight and duty time limitation scheme designed to ensure that crew members remain sufficiently free from fatigue so that they can operate to a satisfactory level of safety in all circumstances.
	The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is satisfied that the flight and duty time schemes of UK airlines protect against unsafe levels of fatigue. If concerns arise with an airline's scheme, this will be investigated as part of the CAA's oversight process.

Aviation: Safety

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to investigate cases where both pilots are simultaneously asleep while piloting aircraft.

Theresa Villiers: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has not received any reports of such events. If one were reported it would be investigated as part of the CAA’s oversight process.

Aviation: Safety

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with the British Airline Pilots Association on both pilots falling asleep at the same time while piloting an aircraft.

Theresa Villiers: None. The British Air Line Pilots' Association has not raised this issue in the Civil Aviation Authority's advisory group on flight time limitations. Nor did BALPA raise it at a recent meeting held with the CAA to discuss the draft rules on flight time limitations proposed by the European Aviation Safety Agency.

Aviation: Safety

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the public purse was of the Civil Aviation Authority's SAFE programme in the latest period for which figures are available.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The System for Aircrew Fatigue Evaluation was developed jointly by the Civil Aviation Authority and QinetiQ. The CAA's costs were funded through their normal charges on the airline industry.

Domestic Aviation

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the choice available to passengers of air services between (a) Edinburgh and (b) Aberdeen and Heathrow airport.

Theresa Villiers: Decisions about which air services operate between UK airports are commercial ones for airlines to determine. 15 return flights per day operate between Heathrow and Edinburgh airports, and 12 per day between Heathrow and Aberdeen airports.

Aviation: Security

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 186W, on aviation: security, what representations she has received from faith groups on the trial of alternative screening processes for religious headgear at airports.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The Department for Transport has received representations from the Sikh Federation, the British Sikh Consultative Forum, the Sikh Council of the UK and the Network of Sikh Organisations as well as several individuals directly, requesting alternative screening processes for religious headgear at airports.

Aviation: Working Hours

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations she has made to the European Commission on proposed changes to pilot flight time limitations.

Theresa Villiers: None. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has consulted on draft rules on flight time limitations. The Department and the CAA have responded to that consultation and are actively engaging with EASA in the review of the draft rules.

Bell Pottinger Group

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) political advisers in her Department have met representatives of (i) Bell Pottinger Group or (ii) each of its subsidiaries in the last five years; on what dates any such meetings took place; and what was discussed.

Norman Baker: The information requested is not readily available and to ascertain if any meetings have occurred between Ministers, officials and political advisers in the Department and representatives of Bell Pottinger Group would incur disproportionate costs. However, details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/ministerial-transparency/#meetings

Bus Services: Concessions

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding her Department has allocated for concessionary bus passes for each year of the spending review period; and how much was allocated for such passes in each year since their introduction.

Norman Baker: Since April 2011 all funding for the statutory travel concession in England has been provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) through Formula Grant. This block grant is unhypothecated so it is not possible to identify how much funding has been allocated to a local authority for a particular service such as concessionary travel.
	Following the introduction of the England-wide statutory off-peak bus travel concession for older and disabled people in April 2008, the Department for Transport provided a portion of funding through a Special Grant to local authorities until 31 March 2011. The Special Grant funding was £212 million in 2008-09, £217 million in 2009-10 and £223 million in 2010-11.

Bus Services: Rural Areas

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Government's response to the Transport Committee's Eighth Report of Session 2010-12, Bus Services after the Spending Review, published with the Committee's Ninth Special Report of Session 2010-12, HC 1550, when her Department will publish the result of research with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to investigate the state of the rural community transport sector and how rural communities are responding positively to deliver innovative local community transport services.

Norman Baker: The Community Transport Association intends to publish their State of the Sector report in the middle of 2012. This will include additional details and analysis of the rural community transport sector prepared in co-operation with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Buses: Exhaust Emissions

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many buses operated by local authorities outside London do not meet the Euro III emission standard for PM10.

Norman Baker: The Department does not hold information on the number of buses operated by local authorities outside London which do not meet the Euro III emission standard for PM10.

Buses: Exhaust Emissions

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many London buses do not meet the Euro III emission standard for PM10.

Norman Baker: The Department does not hold information on how many London buses do not meet the Euro III emission standard for PM10.

Cycling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to promote cycling proficiency in (a) children and (b) adults.

Norman Baker: This financial year, the Department has made £11 million of funding contributions available to local highways authorities and school games organiser host schools. This will enable up to 275,000 school children to access Bikeability cycle training in England, excluding London. (Cycle training in London is a matter for Transport for London and the London boroughs, although the Department does provide some funding to school games organiser host schools based in London.)
	Bikeability may also be completed by adults. Further information, including links to training courses, is available on the Bikeability website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/bikeability/the-three-levels/cycling-skills-for-adults/

Departmental Assets

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assets with a value of £250,000 or more her Department has bought since May 2010; for what purpose; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The following tables detail a breakdown of (a) all new assets, and (b) asset enhancements, valued over £250,000 and bought by the Department for Transport since May 2010.
	
		
			 (a) Assets over £250,000 bought during the period 1 May 2010 to date 
			 Entity Description Purpose Date originally capitalised Value (£250,00 to £500,000) Value (£500 ,000  to £1 million) Value (>£1 million) 
			 DFTc Transport Security IT database Used by inspectors in the field to log information remotely, as well for work force planning purposes 31 July 2010 — Yes — 
		
	
	
		
			 Highways Agency HA Salt Barn A salt barn was constructed for winter maintenance of the strategic road network and placed in service in October 2010 1 October 2010 Yes — — 
			 DVLA Marathon Mail Inserting System Processing DVLA's outgoing mail to its customers 1 July 2010 Yes — — 
			 DVLA Mailing Machines—Marathon 4 Processing DVLA's outgoing mail to its customers 1 September 2011 Yes — — 
			 DVLA Mailing Machines—Marathon 3 Processing DVLA's outgoing mail to its customers 1 September 2011 Yes — — 
			 DVLA Industrial Shredder—Waste management Shredding the agency's waste paper 1 March 2011 Yes — — 
			 DSA IT Assets—Oracle Software Upgrade and harmonisation of database software to common supported version — — Yes — 
			 DSA Building and developing new driving test centres Increase the number of driving test centres available across the country — — — Yes 
			 DSA Refurbishment and upgrading to existing driving test centres Ensure driving test centres are safe and fit for purpose - — — Yes 
			 MCA IT—Secured network connection Improve the reliability and security of the agency's network connections — — —- Yes 
		
	
	
		
			 (b) Existing assets enhanced by £250,000 or over, or with a total value over £250,000 and brought into use, both during the period 1 May 2010 to date 
			 Entity Description Purpose Date asset originally capitalised Date of enha ncement to a sset Value (£250,00 to £500 ,000 ) Value (£500 ,000  to £1 million) Value ( >£1 million) 
			 DFTc GMH Rationalisation and Refurbishment Project Rationalisation of DFT's office estate, and associated refurbishment work 31 March 2009 May to August 2011 — — Yes 
			 DFTc Transport Direct website upgrades 2010-11 Development of the bespoke Special Journey Planner software utilised by the Transport Direct website 31 October 2008 5 August 2011 — Yes — 
			 DFTc Transport Direct website upgrades 2011-12 Further upgrades to the bespoke Special Journey Planner software utilised by the Transport Direct website 31 October 2008 5 August 2011 — Yes — 
			 DFTc MAIB office refurbishment MAIB (Marine Accident Investigation Branch) moved offices to Mountbatten House requiring initial installation work 31 August 2010 22 November 2010 — Yes — 
			 DFTc Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) Hangar Replacement of roof and doors of T-49 aircraft hangar 1 April 1954 February to March 2011 — Yes — 
		
	
	
		
			 DFTc AAIB flight data recording software upgrade Requisite upgrades to AAIB's bespoke flight data recording software 5 July 2000 March 2011 — Yes — 
			 DFTc AAIB office refurbishment Refurbishment of T75 AAIB office building 1 April 1984 February to March 2011 Yes — —

Judicial Review

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what applications for judicial review have been made against her Department (a) in the last Parliament and (b) since May 2010; whether each such application (i) succeeded, (ii) failed or (iii) remains pending; what legal costs were incurred by her Department for each such application; in each failed application whether she applied for costs against the applicant and whether they were (A) awarded and (B) paid; whether her Department (1) paid for and (2) offered to pay for the legal costs incurred by each such applicant; and what the total cost to the public purse was of payment of the legal costs for each such applicant.

Norman Baker: During the last Parliament, ie May 2005 to April 2010, 96 new judicial review cases were opened against the Department and its seven executive agencies.
	Since May 2010, a further 21 new cases have been opened.
	To provide all of the information requested about the outcome and costs of those judicial review proceedings would, I regret, incur a disproportionate cost, because the records held on our behalf by the Treasury Solicitor's Department are not broken down in that manner.
	However, the following information is readily available:
	The total costs, including all fees, charges and disbursements, incurred on the 96 cases opened between May 2005 and April 2010 are £1,511,904.66 (including VAT) to date.
	The total costs incurred on the 21 cases opened since May 2010 are £67,847.81 (including VAT) to date.
	Please note that 46 of the above cases are still ongoing, and the above figures are therefore correct only up to 10 November 2011.
	Please also note that the majority of the final litigation costs for the cases opened since May 2010 will not, in all probability, have been incurred as yet.
	It is the normal policy for the Department to seek recovery of its costs where it is successful in litigation.
	Data on adverse costs, i.e. costs awarded against the Department, are available only for the period 1 July 2010 to 31 March 2010. The total amount awarded during this period was £668,597.00.

Legal Opinion: Costs

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of (a) internal and (b) external legal advice commissioned by her Department in the first six months of 2011.

Norman Baker: The Department and its seven executive agencies incur expenditure on a range of legal services each year. I regret that confirming expenditure across the Department and its agencies in full for the first six months of 2011 would incur a disproportionate cost. However the following information is readily available.
	In the first six months of 2011-12, the total staff costs of the Department for Transport's own Legal Service were estimated to be £2,969,544(1), and the staff costs of the DVLA's in-house legal team were £89,909.
	In the first six months of 2011-12, the Department for Transport's Legal Service spent £161,320 on Treasury Solicitor's Department fees, and £4,018 on external solicitors and counsel. A payment of £82,713 was made in respect of Parliamentary Counsel's fees covering the whole of 2011-12.
	Legal costs of the Department's agencies in the first six months of 2011-12 were as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			 Agency Internal legal costs (2) External legal costs (3) 
			 Highways Agency (4)942,193 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency 297 0 
			 DVLA 186,255 264,003 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency 36,693 152,887 
			 Driving Standards Agency 121,190 84,255 
			 Government Car and Despatch Agency 6,389 250 
			 (1) Based on staff costs of September 2011, multiplied by six. (2) These costs are Treasury Solicitor's Department fees. (3) These costs are fees paid to external solicitors and barristers. (4) The Highways Agency is not able to provide figures subdivided into internal and external costs.

Official Hospitality

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in her Department in each of the last 12 months.

Norman Baker: There have been no events hosted by Ministers within the specified timescale which incurred expenditure on hospitality for the Department.
	I would also refer the hon. Member to my answer of 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 565W, which details events hosted by the then the Secretary of State for Transport the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and the costs to the public purse, rather than to the Department.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department spent on new furnishings in the last year.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport spent £7,694 on new furniture in the last year at the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (Farnborough). This was for the replacement of office furniture which was over 16 years old, the furnishing of a small meeting room following a change of use, and the purchase of a non-standard chair for an employee following occupational health advice.
	Information on spend by Department for Transport executive agencies is not centrally recorded and this information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport at how many events organised by (a) charities, (b) other civil society groups, (c) businesses and (d) lobbying organisations Ministers and senior officials in her Department have given speeches in each month since May 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, details of keynote ministerial speeches are available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/ministers/

Security Vetting

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what level of security vetting is required for the post of (a) head of communications, (b) deputy head of communications and (c) head of press office in her Department; and if she will list each person who has held these posts since May 2010.

Norman Baker: I refer the hon. Member to the publicly available booklet HMG Personnel Security Controls, available from the Cabinet Office website at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/hmg-personnel-security-controls
	This booklet describes the circumstances in which a post may require the holder to be the subject of national security vetting checks. It would not be appropriate to confirm which specific posts within a Department are the subject of vetting, as this could highlight who within a Department has access to sensitive material and be used for targeting purposes.
	The names of the officers who have held the posts listed during the period requested are as follows:
	
		
			 Postholder Notes 
			 Director of Communication (1)  
			 Jeremy Mooney Until 16 January 2011 
			   
			 Head of News  
			 Joanna Millington Until 31 July 2011 
			 Nick Court (temporary Press Office Senior Manager) From 11 July 2011 
			   
			 Head of Ministerial and Corporate Communications  
			 Helen Mason — 
			   
			 Head of External Communications  
			 Emma Stranack — 
			 (1) The Director of Communication post was ceased as part of the restructure of the Department.

Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by her Department have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010.

Norman Baker: The number of questions remaining unanswered two months after their date of publication was (a) 48 for ordinary written answer, and (b) eight for named day answer.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Departments’ performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Electric Vehicles: Finance

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Government has paid out under the Plug-in Car Grant since its inception.

Norman Baker: At the end of September, claims for 786 vehicles had been received for the Plug-in Car Grant of £5,000, totalling £3,445,000. Motorists benefit from the grant at the point of purchase and it is later reclaimed by manufacturers from Government.

Electric Vehicles: Finance

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many grants the Government has made under the Plug-in Car Grant since its introduction.

Norman Baker: The Government have made 786 grants under the Plug-In Car Grant since its introduction in January 2011 up to the end of September. This figure is published on the DFT website and updated quarterly at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/topics/sustainable/olev/plug-in-car-grant/

Exhaust Emissions: EU Law

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of fuel treatment solutions as a means of meeting the new Euro 4 and Euro 5 emission standards.

Norman Baker: Although some fuel additives are capable of reducing the deterioration of an engine with respect to its emissions of air quality pollutants we are aware of none which would actually improve the performance of a vehicle meeting an earlier emissions stage sufficiently that it would meet a later one. There are, in addition, potential problems with respect to some additives, such as fuel-borne catalysts, since these can result in the production of emissions which, although not currently regulated as vehicle exhaust pollutants, may themselves be hazardous to health.

Motorways: Speed Limits

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with Ministers in the devolved Administrations on proposals to increase the national speed limit to 80 mph for motorways.

Michael Penning: Officials in the Department for Transport have been in contact with officials in the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly and the Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland).

Public Sector: Co-operatives

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2011, Official Report, columns 134-35W, on the public sector, when she expects to have completed the framework for assessing applications for employee co-operatives; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: Over the coming weeks we will be working closely with the Cabinet Office to test our current thinking and policy development, which will determine and finalise our next steps and timeframe.

Railways: Franchises

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department has spent on (a) solicitors and (b) consultants in connection with work on the (A)Great Western, (B) Essex Thameside, (c) Southeastern and (D) Transpennine Express rail franchises in the last 12 months.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The information is as follows.
	(a) In the last 12 months the Department has spent the following amounts on solicitors (external) in connection with the franchises in the following table:
	
		
			  Amount 
			 (A) Great Western £25,000 to £30,000 
			 (B) Essex Thameside 0 
			 (C) Southeastern £40,000 to £45,000 
			 (D) Transpennine Express £78,500 
		
	
	(b) In the last 12 months the Department has spent the following amounts on consultants in connection with the franchises in the following table:
	
		
			  Amount 
			 (A) Great Western £58,000 to £63,000 
			 (B) Essex Thameside 0 
			 (C) Southeastern £220,000 to £225,000 
			 (D) Transpennine Express £27,525 
		
	
	These amounts exclude those that have been incurred for stand-alone projects that will have an impact on these franchises in future (eg the IEP and Crossrail programmes which will affect Great Western).

Rescue Services: Location

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will adopt the criterion of value for money as the basis for her decision on the location of the Maritime Operations Centre.

Michael Penning: holding answer 15 November 2011
	The then Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), announced on 14 July 2011, Official Report, columns 606-08, that the Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) will be located in the Southampton/Portsmouth area. I can confirm the Government have no intention of revisiting this decision.
	No specific location within this area has yet been announced. The decision on the specific location of the MOC will be based on both HM Coastguard operational and technical requirements as well as value for money for the UK taxpayer.
	The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), will make an announcement on the location shortly.

Roads: Snow and Ice

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what level of de-icing salt stockholding is held by (a) local authorities, (b) the Highways Agency and (c) the national strategic reserve; and what estimate she has made of the level of each such stockholding on 1 December 2011;
	(2)  what information her Department holds on how many occasions and on what dates the Salt Cell has met in 2011 to date.

Norman Baker: holding answer 25 October 2011
	A recent survey carried out by the Department for Transport estimated that total salt stocks of over 2.5 million tonnes were held by local and national highway authorities in Great Britain at the end of September 2011. This includes strategic stocks. The breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			  Tonnes (1)  (Thousand) 
			 English local highway authorities 1,047 
			 Transport for London stockpile 27 
			 English local sub-total 1,074 
			   
			 Highways Agency operational stock 282 
		
	
	
		
			 Highways Agency strategic stockpile 120 
			 Highways Agency sub-total 402 
			   
			 English national strategic stockpile 305 
			   
			 Total England 1,781 
			 Total Wales 217 
			 Total Scotland 518 
			 Total Great Britain 2,516 
			 (1 )Rounded. 
		
	
	Comparable data for the same time last year are available only for England and Scotland. They show an increase in stocks of over 1 million tonnes since that time.
	No estimates have been made of salt stock levels as of 1 December 2011 as these will depend on factors including future weather, salt utilisation and further orders from highway authorities. The Department for Transport has arrangements in place to periodically monitor salt stocks, so that we can identify risks early on and co-ordinate any further action as necessary.
	“Salt Cell” was not initiated in winter 2010-11 as there was no need to advise salt suppliers on the prioritisation of their own deliveries. Instead, a Winter Road Salt Network Group, chaired by officials from the Department for Transport and involving the Highways Agency, Met Office, Cabinet Office, local government representatives, Welsh Assembly Government and Transport Scotland, met regularly during the 2010-11 winter season to monitor stocks and, where appropriate, advise on allocations from the national strategic stockpile to bolster resilience in parts of the country. Since the end of the last winter season, the group has met three times to discuss resilience preparations in advance of winter 2011-12.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for which rolling stock contracts her Department has not yet awarded preferred bidder status; how many carriages each such contract requires; and what the value is of each such contract.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 31 October 2011
	There are no current rolling stock contracts for which my Department has not yet awarded preferred bidder status.
	However, my Department is working closely with Transport for London (TfL), as co-sponsors of the Crossrail project, to support Crossrail Ltd in delivering Rail for London’s procurement of rolling stock and depot for the future Crossrail service.
	Around 600 new carriages will be provided as part of the contract. Notice of this procurement was published by Crossrail Ltd in the Official Journal of the European Union on 1 December 2010, and the Invitation to Negotiate documentation, which will set out in more detail the scope of services to be provided by bidders, is currently being developed by Crossrail Ltd.
	The delivery profile and costs of the rolling stock are commercially confidential and subject to negotiation with bidders.

Traffic Management Act 2004

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to bring into force the provisions of part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004.

Norman Baker: In December 2010, I wrote to 20 of the largest local authorities to gauge enthusiasm for implementation of part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004. The replies received suggested that there was not a widespread appetite for the change—indeed, several authorities did not reply at all—and there remains insufficient evidence of the traffic management benefits it would deliver. We therefore have no current plans to implement the powers.
	The Department’s current focus is on supporting further take-up of existing civil enforcement powers relating to parking and bus lane contraventions.

Transport Sector Panel

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress her Department has made on its plans to establish a Transport Sector Panel.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has established a Transport Sector Transparency Board that includes members from DFT, No. 10, Cabinet Office and the Open Data Community. It also invites relevant data owners depending on the area of transport that is being discussed. The Board met first in September and again in November.

Transport: Infrastructure

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on bringing forward spending on infrastructure for which her Department is responsible.

Justine Greening: holding  answer 10 November 2011
	I have regular discussions with my ministerial colleagues on departmental spending. There will be announcements in the next stage of the Growth Review on any specific plans for infrastructure.

Transport: Rural Areas

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to ensure provision of a reliable rural public transport service; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking to maintain public transport provision for elderly people in rural areas who are affected by planned changes to the funding of local bus services.

Norman Baker: Outside London, the provision of bus and community transport services in rural areas, as in urban areas, is a matter for commercial operators and for local authorities.
	However, the Government understand that buses are a lifeline for many people in rural areas. I recently provided £10 million of extra funding to local councils to help develop community transport in their areas. We are also providing £560 million over four years through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund to help local authorities to support economic growth and reduce carbon emissions.
	Moreover, we have committed to protect the statutory entitlement for concessionary bus travel, ensuring that older people can maintain greater freedom and independence.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Bell Pottinger Group

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) political advisers in his Department have met representatives of (i) Bell Pottinger Group or (ii) each of its subsidiaries in the last five years; on what dates any such meetings took place; and what was discussed.

Chris Grayling: Conducting a full and exhaustive search for information concerning meetings between all Ministers, officials and political advisers of this Department and representatives of the Bell Pottinger Group and its subsidiaries over the last five years, could not be carried out other than at disproportionate costs.
	However, since May 2010 none of the Ministers from this current administration had one to one meetings with representatives of the Bell Pottinger Group.
	Information relating to meetings between external organisations and this Department's Ministers is published on a quarterly basis on the DWP website. The relevant web page address is as follows:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/ministers-meetings-overseas.shtml
	Information for other officials' meetings is not held centrally.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the latest verified delivery plan agreed by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission Board with regard to the implementation of the Commission's major change programme to deliver a new statutory maintenance scheme by 2015.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan,
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the latest verified delivery plan agreed by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission Board with regard to the implementation of the Commission's major change programme to deliver a new statutory maintenance scheme by 2015.
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission's Delivery Plan 2011/12, published on the Commission's website on 11 July 2011, states the Government's commitment to introduce a new statutory child maintenance scheme in 2012 for those who cannot make a family-based arrangement. The full delivery plan is available at:
	http://www.childmaintenance.org/en/pdf/Delivery-plan-11-12.pdf
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Child Support Agency

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on the effectiveness of the Child Support Agency in pursuing court action for non-payment of child maintenance.

Maria Miller: The Child Support Agency (CSA) has a range of administrative enforcement options available. Where these options cannot be used the CSA will use its court based options to best effect in order to try and achieve a successful outcome. I have received representations from both stakeholder organisations and parents in relation to the effectiveness of pursuing this court action for non-payment of arrears of child support maintenance.
	Although there are no data available on the numbers and types of representations in this area, anecdotally, representations received from parents with care are to the effect that the CSA should pursue the collection of child support arrears by every means available. Some parents with care express dissatisfaction that the CSA's actions through the courts have not achieved the level or speed of payment they desired and are requesting increased enforcement powers. However, it should be noted that the CSA receives a number of thank you letters from parents with care who have now received the sums of child support arrears due to them as a result of a proactive approach to debt enforcement.
	Representations received from non-resident parents support the view that the CSA should not pursue the collection of their child support arrears through court action. Both parties make representations in respect of any outcomes resulting from court proceedings they have attended. Generally speaking an outcome in the non-resident parent's favour will not be to the satisfaction of the parent with care and vice-versa.
	Organisations representing parents or the legal profession occasionally make representations relating to the CSA's actions in individual court cases and/or to issues of policy or practice that they believe these cases highlight. These representations can argue that the CSA has acted inappropriately in pursuing a case or should be more active in using the courts to pursue child maintenance arrears.
	We will continue to review the Commission's success in the exercise of these enforcement powers, and the Government may opt to introduce further measures contained in the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 (subject to a public consultation where appropriate) if it is deemed in the public interest to do so.

Consultants

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what reports his Department has commissioned from (a) audit and (b) management consulting firms in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011.

Chris Grayling: Reports are a key deliverable for all consultancy and audit projects commissioned by the Department.
	In 2008-09 the Department spent £72.8 million on Business Consultancy Services. This figure reduced to £40.13 million in 2009-10 and further reduced to £18.2 million in 2010-11. This represents a total reduction of 76% compared to 2008-09 spending levels which continue to fall. In the first six months of the current financial year the Department spent £3.13 million on Business Consultancy.

Crisis Loans

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for social fund crisis loans were received (a) by telephone, (b) in writing and (c) in person in the last 12 months.

Steve Webb: Information as to the way in which each application is made is not gathered. However, the majority of applications are made via the telephone.

Crisis Loans

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals against social fund crisis loan decisions were (a) upheld and (b) rejected in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: Crisis loans are part of the discretionary social fund and there is no right of appeal.
	A discretionary social fund applicant who is dissatisfied with a decision may apply to have the initial decision reviewed. First reviews are carried out by a reviewing officer in Jobcentre Plus. If the applicant is not happy with the outcome of the first review they can apply to the Independent Review Service for a review by a social fund inspector.
	Figures for reviews are contained in annex 13 to the annual report by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the social fund 2010-11. There were 107,230 applications for first review and 40,910 decisions were revised. The Independent Review Service reviewed 17,465 reviewing officer decisions, 8,983 of these decisions were confirmed and 8,482 were substituted.

Crisis Loans

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment has been made of the merits of extending eligibility for social fund crisis loans.

Steve Webb: Eligibility for crisis loans does not depend on receipt of benefits. Anyone who cannot meet their immediate short-term needs in an emergency or as a consequence of a disaster is eligible to apply. We do not see any reason to change these criteria.
	From April 2013 new support to replace community care grants and general living expenses crisis loans will be introduced. It will be the responsibility of local authorities in England and devolved to the Scottish and Welsh Governments. Eligibility criteria for the new support will be a matter for the devolved Administrations and English local authorities.

Consultants

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on consultants in each month since June 2010.

Chris Grayling: The following table shows consultancy services spend information since June 2010.
	Consultancy services are provided when objective advice relating to strategy, structure, management or operations outside the business-as-usual environment is required and in-house skills are not available. DWP (core Department and its agencies) pays for consultancy on a project basis usually on a fixed fee based on defined outcomes or deliverables. The consultancy supplier is responsible for providing appropriate resource. DWP does not employ consultants on a full-time staff equivalent basis.
	
		
			 Consultancy services monthly spend since 1 April 2009 
			  2009-10 (£) 2010-11 (£) 2011-12 (£) Percentage decrease since 1 April 2009 
			 April 5,116,522 3,009,995 1,022,519 — 
			 May 2,764,609 1,074,052 549,839 — 
			 June 3,588,520 3,933,487 926,465 — 
			 July 5,138,426 2,285,015 319,617 — 
			 August 2,786,329 2,168,864 54,462 — 
			 September 2,963,172 1,174,591 259,593 — 
			 Total 22,357,578 13,646,004 3,132,495 86% on current like for like basis 
			 October 2,213,113 1,004,930 — — 
			 November 2,026,370 739,767 — — 
			 December 3,723,701 725,014 — — 
			 January 3,145,394 1,000,717 — — 
			 February 3,238,921 493,681 — — 
			 March 3,424,725 596,931 — —

Design Services

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what contracts his Department has awarded for design services since May 2010; and what information his Department holds on the location of such companies.

Chris Grayling: No new contracts have been awarded by DWP since May 2010.

Judicial Review

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what applications for judicial review have been made against his Department (a) in the last Parliament and (b) since May 2010; whether each such application (i) succeeded, (ii) failed or (iii) remains pending; what legal costs were incurred by his Department for each such application; in each failed application whether he applied for costs against the applicant and whether they were (A) awarded and (B) paid; whether his Department (1) paid for and (2) offered to pay for the legal costs incurred by each such applicant; and what the total cost to the public purse was of payment of the legal costs for each such applicant.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions dealt with 1,169 potential or actual judicial review cases in the last Parliament and has dealt with 351 such cases since May 2010. The Department does not keep a central record of the additional information requested. In order to be able to provide an answer to the questions it would be necessary to retrieve the majority of these files from our central storage facility which is located outside of London. Each individual file would then have to be interrogated to establish what information is held, and some of these cases will be of a considerable size. I would estimate that this would take at least several weeks to do and would therefore be at a disproportionate cost.

Public Expenditure

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has of the monetary value of his Department's planned efficiency savings in each (a) month and (b) business unit in the next two years.

Chris Grayling: The Department plans to realise substantial efficiency savings over the period of the spending review through measures that will deliver both savings and improved customer service, as well as focusing its resources on key reforms of the welfare system. These plans include a reduction in the size of the corporate centre by up to 40%, and measures to reduce the costs of benefits processing by 25% through streamlining and modernising frontline activities.
	In March 2011, the Department initiated a Transformation Programme to deliver against these savings, including a redesign of the organisation and reductions in the number of staff against the SR baseline. The Department is on track to meet the budget allocation of £7.8 billion for 2011-12, a saving of £1.45 billion against the SR baseline and recession funding.
	DWP is in the process of reviewing efficiency plans in the light of the organisational redesign. Annual updates on progress against planned efficiency savings will be published in the Delivery Plan at the start of each financial year.

Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by his Department have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: In common with other Government Departments, DWP measures performance on parliamentary questions in ‘sitting days' to reflect the fact that it is not possible to answer questions when Parliament is in recess. Up to 31 October 2011, the number of ordinary written questions that remained unanswered after 40 sitting days, the approximate equivalent of two months, was 43 which represents 1.1% of the total number of ordinary written questions answered by the Department. No questions for written answer on a named day remained unanswered after 40 sitting days.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Disability

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has had discussions with his Israeli counterpart on the development of policies to support disabled people in the workplace.

Chris Grayling: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), has not met with his Israeli counterpart to discuss the development of policies to support disabled people in the workplace, nor are there any plans to do so in the near future.

Employment and Support Allowance

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) minimum, (b) average and (c) maximum length of time was between (i) receipt of an appeal in respect of a decision on a claim for employment and support allowance and (ii) a final decision being given.

Chris Grayling: The average actual clearance time for Employment and Support Allowance Appeals from date of receipt in DWP to date of referral to Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) is 35.16 days.
	We are unable to provide a minimum or maximum length of time between DWP receiving an appeal and referring it to HMCTS. This is because the Management Information System Programme (MISP)(1) calculates the average from all appeals received and referred in any given calendar month, and then produces the average figure only.
	The average actual clearance time for employment and support allowance Appeals from date of receipt at HMCTS(2) to a final decision being made is 24.05 weeks.
	Of these appeals 7% were cleared within a minimum of four weeks and 0.1% were more than two years old when cleared.
	Source s :
	(1) MISP 3 November 2011.
	MISP is the departmental performance management, data capture and reporting tool. This type of internal management information does not form part of the official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority's Code of Practice.
	(2 )Statistics Team HMCTS 4 November 2011.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new employment and support allowance claims have been made in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK since the introduction of that allowance.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			 Employment and support allowance (ESA) on-flows—Each quarter November 2008 to February 2011 
			  Great Britain North East region South Tyneside local authority Jarrow parliamentary constituency 
			 2008     
			 November 54,150 3,280 240 110 
			      
			 2009     
			 February 141,320 9,130 620 290 
			 May 160,740 10,210 730 360 
			 August 164,910 10,440 790 370 
			 November 159,600 10,490 760 360 
			      
			 2010     
			 February 154,960 10,380 750 360 
			 May 165,370 10,510 720 340 
			 August 166,520 10,140 680 310 
			 November 163,980 10,080 670 290 
			      
			 2011     
			 February 158,610 9,840 690 320 
			 Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest ten. 2. Figures will exclude some short-term flows not captured by the relevant scans. 3. Figures show the total number of spells on this benefit that commence within the quarter. A person may flow on and off the same benefit more than once during a quarter. Does not include flows where people move out of one area and into another while remaining on the benefit. 4. Employment and support allowance replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. 5. Figures are published on the Department's website at: http://83.244.183.180/flows/flows_on/esa/tabtool_esa.html 6. Northern Ireland data are the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the data are published at: http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research.htm Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employment and support allowance claimants in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have completed a work capability assessment in the last 12 months.

Chris Grayling: The following table shows completed employment and support allowance (ESA) work capability assessments taking place between June 2010 and May 2011 (this is the latest 12-month period for which these figures are available). Information is unavailable for the Jarrow constituency and data for Great Britain are given in place of data for the United Kingdom as data for Northern Ireland are not available. The numbers provided have been rounded to the nearest hundred—as a result, figures may not sum to the totals shown.
	
		
			 Table 1: Completed assessments 
			  Initial assessment Repeat assessment Total 
			 South Tyneside 1,900 500 2,400 
			 North East 28,400 8,400 36,800 
			 Great Britain 447,500 158,100 605,700 
			 Notes: 1. The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the employment and support allowance (ESA) work capability assessment at the national level. The latest report, published in October 2011, and can be found here: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca 2. The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions and functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare. 3. These figures do not include IB reassessment claims. 4. A small number of clerical assessments, where the result cannot be determined from DWP benefits data, are excluded from these figures.

Employment and Support Allowance

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who will fall into poverty as a result of the time-limiting of contributory employment and support allowance.

Chris Grayling: The Department has not conducted a full assessment of the impacts on poverty of the proposal to time limit those receiving contributory employment and support allowance (ESA) in the work related activity group. However, indicative analysis suggests it will have no significant impact on relative child or pensioner poverty and an increase in relative working age poverty of up to a maximum of 100,000 people by 2015-16. This is based on the change in equivalised household incomes relative to 60% of the contemporary median equivalised household income.
	The Department published an impact assessment for this proposal, available at the following link:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/esa-time-limit-wr2011-ia-revised-apr2011.pdf
	This includes analysis which shows that although many of the people affected by time limiting are in the lowest income deciles, these will tend to be either fully, or partially compensated by income-related ESA; and those who will not be eligible for income-related benefits are typically in the middle or higher deciles.
	Notes:
	1. There is unavoidable uncertainty whenever estimating the effect of policy changes on poverty. Uncertainty arises because HBAI poverty statistics are based on survey data which only capture a sample of households from the population—this sampling introduces variability from year to year in statistics as the survey sample is redrawn and new people are interviewed.
	2. Uncertainty also arises because estimated policy effects are dependent on modelling assumptions which may be imperfect.
	3. Poverty statistics are based on analysis from the Department's Policy Simulation Model. They are routinely rounded to the nearest 100,000. This is a reflection of the degree of confidence we should have when examining and comparing these statistics across groups and over time.

Employment and Support Allowance

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who will lose their contributory employment and support allowance (ESA) in (a) April 2012 and (b) within the first year of the introduction of time-limiting of contributory ESA; and what plans the Government has to ensure that those who lose their ESA can obtain alternative means of support.

Chris Grayling: It is estimated that approximately 100,000 claimants will have their contributory employment and support allowance (ESA) benefit time limited in April 2012 as a result of the Government's proposals to limit receipt of contributory ESA to one year for those in the Work Related Activity Group. In total, the average number of people affected in 2012-13 is around 200,000.
	However, for those who leave contributory ESA as a result of the time limit, an anticipated 60% are expected to be fully or partially compensated by income-related ESA, so will retain entitlement to ESA.
	The Department recognises the need to move people automatically from contributory ESA to income-related ESA if they have entitlement to this benefit and we are currently working on the process to implement this. This process will allow us to make an assessment for income-related ESA, and register this entitlement before the change is implemented. This will allow claimants to move automatically to income-related benefit when their contribution-based benefit ends. The Department also has plans to advise those claimants who will become entitled to income-related ESA as a result of their contributory ESA ending to make a new claim. Safeguards will be in place to support the most vulnerable through this process.

Employment and Support Allowance

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of benefits for those in the work related activity group of the contribution based employment and support allowance who will (a) have experienced a gap in provision of support prior to the introduction of the new Work programme, (b) have had the 12 month rule applied retrospectively and (c) have been in receipt of this benefit for the 12 months prior to April 2012.

Chris Grayling: No direct assessment is made of the adequacy of benefits. However, the information that is available on the impact of time limiting is contained in the impact assessment, which can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/esa-time-limit-wr2011-ia-revised-apr2011.pdf
	The Work programme is now in place. Most employment and support allowance (ESA) recipients will have the option of accessing the Work programme at any point after their initial work capability assessment. Credits only claimants—those who do not get any benefit, but get national insurance credits to protect their pension once their benefit has expired—will be able to access the Work programme on a voluntary basis.
	The time limit is not being applied retrospectively. The amendments proposed in the Welfare Reform Bill are changing the conditions of entitlement for the future. Entitlement will not end until after the relevant provisions in the Bill are commenced. This will not affect any entitlement which has already arisen. The provisions do not seek to recover past ESA payments, rather they are defining future entitlement on the basis of whether, at the time the clause is commenced, they have been in receipt of contributory ESA in the work related activity group, and if so, for how long.

Employment and Support Allowance: HIV Infection

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with HIV have been assessed for employment and support allowance (a) following a new claim and (b) as part of the migration from incapacity benefit.

Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
	(a)Since the introduction of employment and support allowance (ESA) in October 2008 to May 2011 (the latest data available) there have been 1,100 initial assessments completed where the primary condition was recorded as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
	(b) Statistics on the number of assessments for ESA as part of the incapacity benefit reassessment process are currently unavailable. Therefore we are unable to provide the information requested.
	Due to the overall length of the incapacity benefits reassessment process, information on the entire process including the final outcomes and subsequent destinations of claimants being reassessed is not yet available. Individual level data are being collected, but it will take time to complete because of the overall length of the reassessment process. The Department plans to publish data on the outcomes of the reassessment process but only once they have been quality assured and are considered robust.

Employment and Support Allowance: HIV Infection

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with HIV are in receipt of (a) incapacity benefit and (b) employment and support allowance.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			 Incapacity benefit (IB)/severe disablement allowance (SDA) and employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants with a diagnosis of HIV—February 2011 
			  IB/SDA ESA 
			 Unspecified HIV 3,900 860 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. To qualify for incapacity benefit, claimants have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work called a personal capability assessment. Under the employment and support allowance (ESA) regime, new claimants have to undergo the work capability assessment. From April 2011 incapacity benefit (IB) recipients will begin also to undertake this assessment. The medical condition recorded on the claim form does not itself confer entitlement to IB or ESA. So, for example, a decision on entitlement for a customer claiming IB or ESA on the basis of mental and behavioural disorders would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities assessed by the personal/work capability assessment. 3. The figures represent those cases where the main disabling condition of the person claiming is ‘Unspecified HIV’. 4. ‘Unspecified HIV’ includes the diagnoses of Aids, HIV Infection and HIV Positive. 5. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment and support allowance from October 2008. 6. Data include people in receipt of benefit and also those who fail the contributions conditions but receive a national insurance credit, i.e. ‘credits only cases’. 7. Great Britain total includes a small number of cases resident abroad. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Employment and Support Allowance: HIV Infection

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training on HIV awareness is provided to (a) DWP staff deciding on claims for employment and support allowance, (b) Atos healthcare professionals conducting work capability assessments and (c) Jobcentre Plus staff.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) trains its staff in the skills required to support a range of customers and claimants and to respect their individual needs. This approach ensures that our employees are equipped to deal with a diverse set of circumstances while treating everyone as an individual.
	The learning programme for Jobcentre Plus focuses on raising awareness of the claimants' personal circumstances and also recognises that disabilities and health conditions can affect individuals in different ways and will change over time.
	(a) Employment and support allowance (ESA) staff have intranet access to the Customer Case Management System which provides an overview of medical conditions including HIV and AIDS. Learning for ESA decision makers, also attended by ATOS Health Care Professionals, refers these decision makers to this site to raise their awareness of a number of health conditions. Staff deciding on claims for ESA are also trained to seek help from an ATOS Health Care Professional if they require specific information regarding the effects of a health condition on the individual.
	(b) ATOS Healthcare's new entrant training includes a module on HIV and AIDS and there is a learning set on the subject available to all health care professionals as part of ATOS' Continuing Medical Education programme.
	(c) All Jobcentre Plus staff receive foundation learning which covers excellent customer service, diversity and customer needs. These deal with the wide range of circumstances that our claimants may have, some less obvious than others, and stress how important it is to look for signs where the claimant does not give us this information directly and to offer appropriate support.
	All our front-facing staff are equipped to help the claimant focus on what they can do in the world of work and where necessary, to signpost them to where they can get specialist help to reflect particular conditions. Part of this specialist help can come from our Disability Employment Advisers who have extensive and specialist learning in addition to the detail provided above.
	In addition an event called ‘Raising the Game', aimed at elevated awareness of disability and perceptions of disabled people, includes information on HIV and AIDS. This is a national event designed for front-facing staff including their managers. All Jobcentre Plus staff have access to information about HIV through guidance on our Intranet.

Employment Schemes

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his contribution of 24 October 2011, Official Report, column 4, how many people have been placed in work through (a) work clubs, (b) work experience, (c) apprenticeship offers, (d) sector-based work academies, ( e ) the innovation fund, ( f ) European social fund support, ( g ) the skills offer, ( h ) the access to apprenticeships programme, ( i ) Work Together, ( j ) the work programme, (k ) work choice and ( l ) mandatory work activity.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Work clubs
	Work clubs are designed and delivered locally with some support from Jobcentre Plus. We do not set specific expectations or targets for the number of work clubs, allowing them instead to grow organically in communities, making the best use of local energy, expertise and resources. The data requested are therefore not available.
	(b) Work experience
	From January 2011 to August 2011, 16,360 claimants have started a Get Britain Working Work Experience placement.
	The latest quarterly official statistics relating to Get Britain Working Work Experience, including demographic breakdowns, can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/pwp/index.php?page=pwp
	(c/h) Apprenticeship offers /the access to apprenticeships programme
	There were 279,700 apprenticeship starts(1) in England in the 2009-10 academic year; the latest year for which final data are available. Final data on apprenticeship starts in England for the academic year 2010-11 will be available from January 2012. The latest provisional data show 442,700(2) apprenticeship starts in 2010-11. Information on the number of people placed in work through apprenticeship offers and the Access to Apprenticeship programme is not available.
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 27 October 2011:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
	(d) Sector-based work academies
	Information on the number of people placed in work through sector-based work academies is not available. Jobcentre Plus districts will be tracking benefit claimants who participate in sector-based work academies but there is no national requirement for districts to record and report job outcomes achieved.
	(e) The Innovation Fund
	The Innovation Fund was announced on 12 May 2011 and will support disadvantaged young people and those at risk of disadvantage, aged 14 years and over. This project is in the commissioning stages and will begin delivery in early 2012; therefore no young people have been placed into work at this point.
	(f) European Social Fund support
	European Social Fund support has achieved 75,671 job outcomes from July 2008 to October 2011(3).
	(g) The skills offer
	Information on the number of people placed in work following the new skills offer, introduced from 1 August, is not available. The Department for Work and Pensions is working with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to see how data collected by both Departments can be used to produce meaningful statistics on the effectiveness of work-related training.
	(i) Work Together
	Work Together is available on a voluntary basis to all unemployed claimants. We do not set specific expectations or targets; therefore the data requested are not available.
	(j) Work programme
	The Work programme was launched in June 2011, to deliver sustained employment that can change people's lives; providers have longer than ever before to make a difference.
	The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity and we are aiming to publish referrals and attachments from spring 2012 and job outcomes from autumn 2012.
	(k) Work Choice
	DWP will be publishing information on Work Choice from spring 2012 and as a minimum we will be seeking to publish referrals, starts and job outcome data to contract level.
	(l) Mandatory work activity
	The first official statistics on mandatory work activity will be published in February 2012 to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity.
	(1) Apprenticeships include those who are currently employed who are starting an apprenticeship as well as new apprenticeship vacancies, i.e. a potential job outcome. Information on the split between the two is not currently available.
	(2) It is not possible to directly compare provisional 2010-11 estimates with figures for previous years as not all providers will have made their performance returns yet. Therefore it is assumed that estimates may change significantly.
	(3) These figures only relate to the DWP Co-Financing Organisation.

Fuel Poverty

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Government's welfare reforms on the number of households in fuel poverty.

Chris Grayling: My Department has not made an assessment specifically of the effects of the welfare reforms on fuel poverty. However, full impact assessments have been conducted in line with Cabinet Office guidelines and kept up to date. These are available at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/legislation-and-key-documents/welfare-reform-bill-2011/impact-assessments-and-equality/
	As set out in the relevant impact assessment, universal credit will reduce the number of individuals in poverty.
	Greater simplicity will lead to a substantial increase in the take-up of currently unclaimed benefits, with most of the impact being at the lower end of the income distribution. The changes to entitlement are estimated to increase average weekly net income in the bottom two income deciles by £3 and £4 per week respectively. After accounting for imperfect take-up in the current system and improved take-up under universal credit, the gain for the bottom two deciles increases to £11 and £10 per week respectively. On reasonable assumptions, the combined impact of take-up and entitlements will lift around 900,000 individuals out of poverty, including more than 350,000 children and around 550,000 working-age adults. These poverty impacts exclude the positive impacts of more people moving into work.

Funeral Payments

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent pursuing the recovery of funeral payments on which the deceased's estate defaulted over the last five years.

Steve Webb: We do not separately record the administrative cost of pursuing the recovery of funeral payments.

Funeral Payments

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment has been made of the case for extending eligibility for funeral payments.

Steve Webb: Future eligibility of the funeral payment scheme will be reviewed in light of the Social Security Advisory Committee's review of passported benefits which is currently under way and prior to the implementation of universal credit.

Housing Benefit

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in St Helens South and Whiston constituency were in receipt of (a) housing benefit and (b) local housing allowance in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: Although housing benefit statistics are not routinely reported at parliamentary constituency level, the Department has published such breakdowns for January 2011. The publication, which did not present local housing allowance caseloads separately, showed an overall housing benefit caseload of 10,270 for St Helens and Whiston parliamentary constituency.
	Housing benefit statistics at local authority level are available online:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_ctb/index.php?page=hbctb_arc

Housing Benefit

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people resident in St Helens South and Whiston constituency claimed the shared accommodation rate of housing benefit in 2010-11; and how many such people he estimates will be affected by the extension of the age threshold to 35.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available at constituency level.
	Estimates of the number of people in each local authority who (i) claimed the shared accommodation rate of housing benefit in March 2010 and (ii) will be affected by the increase in the shared accommodation rate age threshold, can be found in the equality impact assessment available on the DWP website at
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-hb-shared-accommodation-age-threshold.pdf

Housing Benefit

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what additional provision he will make for parents with part-custody rights who will be affected by the extension of shared accommodation rate of local housing allowance to those aged 25 to 34 years to fund accommodation suitable for looking after children; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: Having considered this situation carefully we have no plans to introduce any further exemptions from the shared accommodation rate beyond those already announced for certain claimants moving on from specialist homeless hostels and a small group of ex-offenders most likely to present a risk of causing serious harm to the public. However, further financial assistance is available from local authorities through discretionary housing payments when they consider that additional help with housing costs is needed.

Housing Benefit: Universal Credit

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he has made on his plans for the administration of local housing allowance payments within the universal credit; what his policy is on the ability of landlords to reclaim arrears if direct payments are not made to them by tenants; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: An appropriate amount will be added to the UC award to help meet the costs of rent for tenants in the private sector. This ‘housing element’ for private tenants will be based on the local housing allowance approach.
	The Government are working closely with the housing sector, tenant representative groups, and local government to inform the design of universal credit.

Incapacity Benefit

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the north-east economy of his planned changes to incapacity benefit in each of the next five years.

Chris Grayling: No such assessment has been made.

Industrial Health and Safety: Farms

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to promote health and safety on farms.

Chris Grayling: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) actively promotes health and safety on farms through a programme of farming Safety and Health Awareness Days (SHADs) in England, Scotland and Wales. SHADs are half day training events based on practical demonstrations of everyday hazards faced by farmers, farming families and workers. The events target family farmers, the self employed and those employing up to four people.
	Formally, HSE promotes health and safety in the industry through the work of its Agriculture Industry Advisory Committee. This committee provides a mechanism for bringing together and consulting with the industry and for helping to set priorities to promote the attitudinal and cultural changes required if there is to be sustainable improvement in the industry's health and safety performance.
	Additionally over the past 12 to 15 months, HSE has been working in partnership with the key industry stakeholders and, among other things, is supporting the Farm Industry Safety Partnerships led by the National Farmers Union (NFU) and the similar group in Wales led by NFU Cymru. These partnerships are actively developing a range of activities and initiatives to promote health and safety through their respective memberships.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what methodology his Department used to determine the level of jobseeker's allowance.

Chris Grayling: There is no actual formula used to calculate benefit rates, instead benefits such as jobseeker's allowance are made up of main components, the rates of which are fixed by Parliament each April, and are generally uprated annually in line with inflation.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2011, Official Report, column 316W, on jobseeker's allowance, whether his Department has revised its projection of the (a) jobseeker's allowance claimant count, (b) jobseeker's allowance claimant count aged 16 to 24 and (c) average weekly jobseeker's allowance payment in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2013-14 and (iv) 2014-15.

Chris Grayling: There have been no revisions to jobseeker's allowance projections since Budget 2011. The Department's projections are aligned to the independent Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts which are publicly available.

Pensions: Females

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women in St Helens South and Whiston constituency he estimates will be affected by planned changes to the state pension age.

Steve Webb: The requested information is available in the document “Women affected by State Pension age changes in Pensions Act 2011 by Parliamentary Constituency”. This is available in the House of Commons Library.

Social Security Benefits

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the Social Security Advisory Committee's report of its review of passported benefits when it is presented in January 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) has been commissioned to carry out an independent review of passported benefits on behalf of the Government. This review is still taking place and the Committee has been asked to report by the end of January 2012. The Department will publish the final report alongside our response by the end of April.

Social Security Benefits

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to modify the right to reside test in light of the European Commission's Reasoned Opinion relating to benefit claimants.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions is considering all the details of the European Commission's Reasoned Opinion against the right to reside test and is committed to taking the necessary steps to ensure the UK retains control of its welfare policies.
	The Government accept their responsibility in supporting EU citizens who work here and pay their taxes, but it is clearly completely unacceptable that we should be asked to open our welfare system to people who have never worked or contributed in the United Kingdom and have no intention of doing so.

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Tewkesbury of 8 March 2011, Official Report, column 1035W, on social security benefits: EU nationals, for what reason benefit payment systems do not record the nationality of people receiving benefits.

Chris Grayling: For contributory benefits, the Department’s benefit payment systems do not record nationality because it is not a qualifying factor for receiving the benefit. This is because eligibility is solely determined by the national insurance contributions that the claimant has made.
	For all other benefits administered by the Department, residency conditions apply, hence nationality does need to be checked to ensure that the claimant is lawfully resident in the country. Therefore, for these benefits, nationality is established as part of the claims process, but since it is not required for further processing the claim, it is not recorded on our benefit payment systems.
	I have commissioned work to release information regarding the nationality of benefits claimants at the point of registration for a national insurance number. I hope to make these preliminary statistics available shortly. In addition, I have asked my officials to look into ways of capturing nationality information at source.

Social Services: Dementia

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provision his Department makes for people with dementia who are unable to meet dementia service charges in cases where a local authority does not meet the full cost of care.

Paul Burstow: I have been asked to reply.
	People with less than £23,250 can apply for financial help from social services with the cost of care in a care home. Local authorities assess a person's ability to contribute towards the cost of residential care using the National Assistance (Assessment of Resources) Regulations 1992. “The Charging for Residential Accommodation Guide” provides guidance on how to interpret the regulations.
	For non-residential social care services, such as home care, it is for individual local authorities to decide whether to charge. The legal basis—as set out in Section 17 of the Health and Social Services and Social Security Adjudications Act 1983—is that no one should be asked to pay more than they reasonably can.
	The Department issued statutory guidance to local authorities—the “Fairer Charging Policies for Home Care and other non-residential Social Services”. This is intended to ensure that, where local authorities charge, this will be based on fair and well designed policies. The guidance is intended to protect service users on low incomes, ensure that any charges levied on disability benefits are subject to an assessment of disability costs, and to ensure charges are reasonable. As a minimum, service users' net incomes should not be reduced below basic levels of income support or the guarantee credit of pension credit, plus a buffer of 25%, as a result of charging. Local authorities are free to be more generous if they wish.

SSAC

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received on the resignation of the Chair of the SSAC; if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Deep Sagar resigned as Chair of the Social Security Advisory Committee on 11 October 2011. Paul Gray CB has been appointed as interim Chair (with the agreement of the Commissioner for Public Appointments) pending an open recruitment exercise for a new Chair. The role of Chair of the Social Security Advisory Committee is subject to pre-appointment scrutiny by the Work and Pensions Select Committee who have written to the Department in connection with this.
	The Department has not received any other representations on this matter.

Stationery

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on (a) postage, (b) stationery and (c) telephones in each month since June 2010.

Chris Grayling: Between the period June 2010 to September 2011, my Department has spent £67.4 million on postage and £9.18 million on stationery.
	The monthly breakdown for postage and stationery spend is as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  (a) Postal (b) Stationery 
			 2010   
			 June 4.6 0.96 
			 July 4.2 0.95 
			 August 3.4 0.73 
			 September 4.7 0.68 
			 October 3.7 0.53 
			 November 3.5 0.51 
			 December 5.6 0.48 
			    
			 2011   
			 January 6.0 0.43 
			 February 3.6 0.05 
			 March 5.2 1.51 
			 April 4.8 0.45 
			 May 3.6 0.44 
		
	
	
		
			 June 3.9 0.38 
			 July 3.5 0.34 
			 August 3.4 0.33 
			 September 3.5 0.41 
			 Total 67.2 9.18 
		
	
	For comparison, the expenditure between June 2009 and September 2010 on postage was £75.4 million and on stationery was £21.5 million. The differences in monthly expenditure are because postage and stationery are both demand-led services and products. Theses are used to support business needs and costs fluctuate due to increases/decreases in operational activity, for example, postage increases attributable to winter fuel and cold weather payment notifications during December 2010 and January 2011.
	DWP communicates with our customers via a range of postal services—actual volumes in 2010-11 were approximately 220 million items. Postage services to customers’ home addresses include payment via girocheques, notifications and supporting correspondence for individual entitlements/decisions.
	My Department does not have expenditure on telephones. This equipment is provided under a network services arrangement and the number of discreet telephones is not directly charged for.

Unemployment: Norfolk

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Norfolk were registered unemployed for two years or longer in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, (d) 2009, (e) 2010 and (f) 2011.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people in Norfolk were registered unemployed for two years or longer (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, (d) 2009, (e) 2010 and (f) 2011. (81549)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of people resident in Norfolk who were unemployed for two years or longer are not available.
	As an alternative in Table 1, we have provided the number of people who have been claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for over 104 weeks resident in Norfolk in September of each year from 2006 to 2011.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and JSA count are available on the Nomis website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of people (1)  resident in Norfolk who were claiming  jobseeker's allowance  for over 104 weeks 
			 September Level 
			 2006 710 
			 2007 570 
		
	
	
		
			 2008 280 
			 2009 210 
			 2010 860 
			 2011 1,020 
			 (1) Computerised claims only. These account for approximately 99.7% of all claims. Note: Data rounded to nearest 5 Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what reports he has commissioned from external advisers on the introduction of Universal Credit in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011.

Chris Grayling: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), has not commissioned any reports from external advisers specifically on the introduction of universal credit in either 2010 or 2011.
	However the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked the Social Security Advisory Committee to undertake an independent review of passported benefits and how they link with universal credit. The Committee will produce an advisory report at the end of January 2011.

Universal Credit

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) adults and (b) children under the age of 18 he estimates will live in households that will receive the new universal credit benefit following the national roll-out.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions estimates that following the implementation of universal credit:
	(a) Approximately 9.3 million adults will live in benefit units which are entitled to universal credit.
	(b) Approximately 6.7 million dependent children will live in benefit units which are entitled to universal credit.
	These estimates have been made using the Department's Policy Simulation Model, which is based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS), and is consistent with the updated Impact Assessment for Universal Credit which was published in October 2011.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK received zero points in a work capability assessment and were passed on appeal in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK received between zero and six points in a work capability assessment and were passed on appeal in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: Decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) using the Work Capability Assessment rest solely with the Department's decision makers taking into account the medical assessment reports from Atos and any other relevant information.
	If someone is assessed to be Fit for Work by DWP they are no longer entitled to claim ESA. However, they may ask for a revision and/or they may appeal against the DWP decision.
	Tables 1 to 3 as follows show appeals heard on Fit for Work decisions, where between zero and six points were recorded at the face-to-face assessment. The tables cover ESA claims starting between October 2008 and August 2010 (this is the latest period for which these figures are available).
	Information is unavailable for the Jarrow constituency and data for Great Britain are given in place of data for the United Kingdom as data for Northern Ireland are not available. The figures provided are for initial assessments only and numbers have been rounded to the nearest hundred—as a result, figures may not sum to the totals shown.
	
		
			 Table  1 : Fit for Work appeals in South Tyneside unitary authority 
			  All fit for w ork Appeals heard (to date) Percentage fit for work with an appeal heard (to date)  (%) Decision in favour of appellant DWP decision upheld Percentage decision in favour of appellant  (%) Percentage DWP decision upheld  (%) 
			 0 points 2,000 800 43 300 500 38 62 
			 1 to 6 points 300 200 54 100 100 44 56 
			 0 to 6 points 2,200 1,000 44 400 600 39 61 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Fit for Work appeals in the north-east 
			  All fit for w ork Appeals heard (to date) Percentage fit for work with an appeal heard (to date)  (%) Decision in favour of appellant DWP decision upheld Percentage decision in favour of appellant  (%) Percentage DWP decision upheld  (%) 
			 0 points 28,300 13,000 46 4,300 8,700 33 67 
			 1 to 6 points 4,000 2,300 57 1,100 1,200 48 52 
			 0 to 6 points 32,300 15,300 47 5,400 9,900 35 65 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Appeals heard on Fit for Work decisions in Great Britain 
			  All fit for w ork Appeals heard (to date) Percentage fit for work with an appeal heard (to date) (%) Decision in favour of appellant DWP decision upheld Percentage decision in favour of appellant (%) Percentage DWP decision upheld (%) 
			 0 points 342,900 128,400 37 43,100 85,400 34 66 
			 1 to 6 points 77,700 34,800 45 16,100 18,700 46 54 
			 0 to 6 points 420,500 163,200 39 59,200 104,000 36 64 
			 Notes: 1. The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the employment and support allowance (ESA) Work Capability Assessment at the national level. The latest report, published in October 2011, can be found here: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca 2. The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions, functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare and appeals data from the Tribunals Service. 3. Data on appeals include ESA claims up to the end of August 2010 (the latest month where we have sufficient volumes of appeals heard to include in the publication) where the person claiming has been assessed to be Fit for Work, they subsequently appeal the Department's decision and the appeal has been heard by Tribunals Service. 4. Due to the time it takes for appeals to be submitted to the Tribunals Service and heard, it is likely that there are more appeals that have not yet been heard. Therefore these figures should be treated as emerging findings rather than final at this stage.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the north-east and (d) the UK who have failed a work capability assessment in the last 12 months have subsequently had the decision overturned on appeal.

Chris Grayling: Decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) using the work capability assessment rest solely with the Department’s decision makers taking into account the medical assessment reports from Atos and any other relevant information.
	If someone is assessed to be fit for work by DWP, they are no longer entitled to claim ESA. However, they may ask for a revision and/or they may appeal against the DWP decision.
	The following table shows appeals heard on fit for work decisions, for ESA claims starting between September 2009 and August 2010 (this is the latest 12-month period for which these figures are available).
	Information is unavailable for the Jarrow constituency and data for Great Britain are given in place of data for the United Kingdom as data for Northern Ireland are not available. The figures provided are for initial assessments only and numbers have been rounded to the nearest hundred—as a result, figures may not sum to the totals shown.
	
		
			 Appeals heard on fit for work decisions 
			  All fit for work Appeals heard (to date) Percentage of fit for work with an appeal heard (to date) Decision in favour of appellant DWP decision upheld Percentage  of  decision in favour of appellant Percentage  of  DWP decision upheld 
			 South Tyneside 1,300 500 42 200 300 40 60 
			 North-east 18,400 8,500 46 3,100 5,500 36 64 
			 Great Britain 251,700 91,200 36 32,900 58,300 36 64 
			 Notes: 1. The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the employment and support allowance (ESA) work capability assessment at the national level. The latest report, published in October 2011, can be found at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca 2. The data presented above comes from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions, functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare and appeals data from the Tribunals Service. 3. Data on appeals include ESA claims started from September 2009 up to the end of August 2010 (the latest month where we have sufficient volumes of appeals heard to include in the publication) where the person claiming has been assessed to be fit for work, they subsequently appeal the Department’s decision and the appeal has been heard by Tribunals Service. 4. Due to the time it takes for appeals to be submitted to the Tribunals Service and heard, it is likely that there are more appeals that have not yet been heard. Therefore these figures should be treated as emerging findings rather than final at this stage.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to receive the next report from Professor Malcolm Harrington on the work capability assessment.

Chris Grayling: Professor Harrington’s second independent review of the work capability assessment will be published before the end of 2011.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the north-east and (d) the UK received over six points in a work capability assessment and were successful at appeal in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: Decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) using the work capability assessment rest solely with the Department's decision makers taking into account the medical assessment reports from Atos and any other relevant information.
	If someone is assessed to be fit for work by DWP they are no longer entitled to claim ESA. However, they may ask for a revision and/or they may appeal against the DWP decision.
	The following table shows appeals heard on fit for work decisions, where between seven and 14 points were recorded at the face-to-face assessment. People scoring 15 points or more at assessment are typically assessed to be eligible for ESA in the Work Related Activity Group or Support Group. The table covers ESA claims starting between October 2008 and August 2010 (this is the latest period for which these figures are available).
	Information is unavailable for the Jarrow constituency and data for Great Britain are given in place of data for the United Kingdom as data for Northern Ireland are not available. The figures provided are for initial assessments only and numbers have been rounded to the nearest hundred—as a result, figures may not sum to the totals shown.
	
		
			 Fit for work appeals where seven to 14 points was scored at assessment 
			  All fit for work Appeals heard (to date) Percentage of fit for work with an appeal heard (to date) Decision in favour of appellant DWP decision upheld Percentage decision in favour of appellant Percentage DWP decision upheld 
			 South Tyneside 100 100 63 0 0 64 36 
			 North East 1,800 1,100 62 700 400 63 37 
			 Great Britain 32,600 15,900 49 10,100 5,800 63 37 
			 Notes: 1. The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the employment and support allowance (ESA) work capability assessment at the national level. The latest report, published in October 2011, can be found at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca 2. The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions, functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare and appeals data from the Tribunals Service. 3. Data on appeals include ESA claims started from October 2008 up to the end of August 2010 (the latest month where we have sufficient volumes of appeals heard to include in the publication) where the person claiming has been assessed to be fit for work, they subsequently appeal the Department's decision and the appeal has been heard by Tribunals Service. 4. Due to the time it takes for appeals to be submitted to the Tribunals Service and heard, it is likely that there are more appeals that have not yet been heard. Therefore these figures should be treated as emerging findings rather than final at this stage.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Administration: Allowances

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations his Department has received on the merits of defining administration expenses; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The Department has not received any recent representations on the merits of defining administration expenses

Apprentices

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the (a) findings and (b) recommendations of the British Chambers of Commerce report, entitled Skills for Business: More to Learn.

John Hayes: The Government welcome the British Chambers of Commerce's (BCC) report “Skills for Business: More to Learn?”. Officials in the Department will be meeting with the BCC later this month when they will discuss the key findings and recommendations.

Apprentices

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  if he will bring forward proposals to amend apprenticeship frameworks to make them more adaptable to business needs, as recommended in the British Chambers of Commerce October 2011 report on skills for business;
	(2)  if he will respond to the findings on apprentices contained in the British Chambers of Commerce report Skills for business: more to learn.

John Hayes: A package of measures to reduce bureaucracy and make it as easy as possible for employers to recruit and employ an apprentice was announced at last week's apprenticeship summit as well as incentive payments of up to £1,500 for small firms taking on their first young apprentice aged 16 to 24. The measures include speeding up the process of advertising vacancies and streamlining health and safety requirements to remove additional demands on employers that already meet national standards. Many of the recommendations from the BCC report are reflected in these measures.
	Employers can already develop their own frameworks or run apprenticeships in-house as long as they can meet the high standards we expect from apprenticeships. We will be working with partners to explore ways to further reduce bureaucracy within the system and improve employer ownership.

Apprentices

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to promote (a) high end apprenticeship schemes at NVQ level 4 and above and (b) apprenticeships in the technology, engineering and science sector.

John Hayes: On 22 July the Prime Minister announced a £25 million fund to support the creation of up to 10,000 advanced and higher apprenticeships over the next four years, giving firms in a wide range of sectors including advanced manufacturing, information technology and engineering the hi-tech skills they need to grow. We expect to announce the successful bidders shortly.
	Recognising the importance of the technology, engineering and science sector in stimulating growth in our economy, and building on the existing work by the National Apprenticeship Service to encourage new apprenticeships in these sectors, we are working very closely with the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, the National Apprenticeship Service, and the relevant Sector Skills Councils on a project to develop a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Apprenticeship Growth Plan. This will be published by the end of the year.

Beechwood Equipment Ltd

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has had discussions concerning the removal of Beechwood Equipment Ltd from the DSEi 2011 fair for marketing leg cuffs and gang chains; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Officials in the Export Control Organisation, together with representatives of Her Majesty's (HM) Revenue and Customs and the UK Border Agency, worked closely with the organisers of Defence and Security Equipment International Exhibition (DSEi) 2011 before, during and after the conference. The organisers became aware during the conference of two alleged breaches of UK trade controls and took action accordingly. The incidents were reported to HM Revenue and Customs and they took appropriate action.

Billing: EU Action

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects the EU Late Payment Directive to be transposed into UK law.

Mark Prisk: The deadline for transposition of Directive 2011/7/EU on combating late payment in commercial transactions (recast) is 16 March 2013. We expect to complete the transposition of the directive in England and Wales on 16 March 2013.

BMI

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any consideration of competition issues arising from the sale of British Midland International would be considered by the (a) UK and (b) EU competition authorities.

Edward Davey: The parties will need to consider whether the transaction qualifies under the EU merger regulation for a mandatory review by the European Commission or whether a filing needs to be made to the Office of Fair Trading. At this stage no filing has been made to the competition authorities, however preliminary discussions are taking place between the Office of Fair Trading, the European Commission and the merging parties.

Business: Females

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the extent to which the cost of child care acts as a deterrent to women entrepreneurs.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 15 November 2011
	The Department has made no formal assessment of the extent to which the cost of child care acts as a deterrent to women entrepreneurs. However, we continue to collect and evaluate evidence on women’s entrepreneurship and we are already taking action in areas where the evidence supports intervention, specifically on enterprise education and mentoring.
	Research in the UK and Norway shows that hands-on enterprise experience can be transformative and that is why I have announced this week two initiatives to support enterprise in schools: working with the Schools Network to develop resources for teachers to build and develop school businesses, and working with Inspiring the Future to recruit 2,500 local enterprise champions to engage with schools (with part of the intention being to provide positive role models of female entrepreneurship).
	The Government have also recently announced funding to recruit and train 5,000 mentors to support female entrepreneurs. We know that female entrepreneurs typically have a different approach in some areas of business compared to their male counterparts, including risk and financial management. We also know that third party advice is a key ingredient in business growth.
	Earlier this month, the Secretary of State for the Home Department and Minister for Women and Equalities, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), announced that the Government will establish a Women’s Business Council, to provide advice to Government on what can be done to maximise women’s contribution to future economic growth. I look forward to working with the Home Secretary in developing the council.

Business: Trade Fairs

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on comparative spending by the UK Government and other EU member states on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises' international tradeshow access.

Mark Prisk: It is not possible to provide a detailed comparison of spending as this information is not held centrally and would incur disproportionate cost to provide. However, we know that Germany spends above €40 million per year on supporting international tradeshow access and the UK spends £6 million through UK Trade & Investment’s Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP).

Conditions of Employment

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department's employment law review will give consideration to the (a) trends in the number of and (b) suitability of regulation for employees on atypical contracts and their employers.

Edward Davey: The Employment Law Review is being led by my Department and lasts for the lifetime of the Parliament. All employment-related policies are in scope, including those of other Government Departments that impact on businesses by virtue of their being an employer.
	Atypical workers are a key component of the UK's flexible labour market and as part of the Employment Law Review we will continue to monitor trends and suitability of regulation that affects atypical working.

Data Protection

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of the acquisition of Autonomy by Hewlett-Packard on the privacy and security of UK public and private organisations and their data.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 7 November 2011
	It is inappropriate to comment on this particular case, given the ongoing acquisition negotiations.
	However, the Government take the protection of personal data very seriously. There are a number of measures in place to protect UK public and private data held by organisations and these are set out in the Cabinet Office's Security Policy Framework (SPF). Departments are required to seek assurance from third party organisations that they are managing personal data in accordance with these standards.
	The Information Commissioner takes issues of data protection extremely seriously and regulates and enforces the Data Protection Act 1998.

Defence: North-west England

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with colleagues in the Ministry of Defence about the effect of defence spending on the economy of the north-west; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Ministers and officials from this Department hold regular discussions with their counterparts in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) on a range of issues; but there have been no recent discussions on the issue of the specific effect of defence spending on the economy of the north-west.
	We recognise that the potential job losses announced by BAE Systems will impact on the north-west although that decision was made largely in response to changes in international defence programmes and pressures on defence budgets globally. The Jobcentre Plus Rapid Response Service is providing support, training and careers advice to individuals whose jobs may be at risk and we are working with the Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership on the potential new enterprise zone to support the local economy.

Consultants

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what procedures his Department uses when engaging external consultants.

Edward Davey: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills utilises a strict internal approval process to ensure that Government policy on the use of consultants is adhered to. A business case is submitted with justification for external expertise with appropriate sign-off from finance and senior management. Competitive tendering, most commonly against existing framework agreements, is undertaken to ensure value for money and due diligence carried out against the costs to ensure compliance with framework and agreed Government mandates.
	To ensure continued value for money any consultants engaged by core BIS, Executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies who cost above £20,000 require approval every three months by the Consultancy Exemption Board. Subsequently if a consultancy is expected to last longer than nine months there is an additional requirement to obtain Cabinet Office approval prior to signing the contract.

Design Services

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what contracts his Department has awarded for design services since May 2010; and what information his Department holds on the location of such companies.

Edward Davey: The Department has only one accounting code within its central finance system addressing “design”. This code descriptor is for “Media and Design Services”.
	Central records indicate that the Department has spent £12,686,618 on such services since May 2010.
	It is not possible within cost thresholds to differentiate between payments for “Media” and “Design” services.
	Payment addresses for suppliers of media and design services since May 2010 are contained within the central finance system. I will be placing the relevant extract from the finance system in the Libraries of the House.
	Further information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Judicial Review

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what applications for judicial review have been made against his Department (a) in the last Parliament and (b) since May 2010; whether each such application (i) succeeded, (ii) failed and (iii) remains pending; what legal costs were incurred by his Department for each such application; in each failed application whether he applied for costs against the applicant and whether they were (A) awarded and (B) paid; whether his Department (1) paid for and (2) offered to pay for the legal costs incurred by each such applicant; and what the total cost to the public purse was of payment of the legal costs for each such applicant.

Edward Davey: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills was set up in June 2009.
	16 new cases were opened in the last Parliament (June 2009 to April 2010) and 19 opened since May 2010. 13 of these cases have been closed.
	The Department engages the Treasury Solicitor's Department to conduct all its judicial review litigation. The Treasury Solicitor's Department charges for this. The following table sets out the charges made by the Treasury Solicitor's Department to BIS for the financial year 2009-10 and from May 2010 to date.
	
		
			 Judicial reviews Total fees, charges and Disb (£) 
			 June 2009 to April 2010 199,546 
			 May 2010 to date 297,261 
		
	
	They include both fees charged by the Treasury Solicitor's Department and disbursements, which included counsel's fees. They relate only to judicial reviews in which BIS was involved.
	Details relating whether applications have been successful, failed or remain pending, costs and awards could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Manpower

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many civil servants were (a) directly and (b) otherwise employed by non-departmental public bodies for which his Department and its predecessors were responsible (i) in 2000, (ii) in 2005, (iii) in 2007, (iv) in 2010 and (v) on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Edward Davey: With a few exceptions, non-departmental public bodies do not employ civil servants.
	The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service is one of those exceptions and currently employs 850 civil servants. Historical data on staff numbers can be found in past ACAS annual reports and accounts which are available on the ACAS website:
	http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1473

Public Sector: Pay

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many civil servants in his Department received a bonus in each year since 2007.

Edward Davey: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) was formed through a machinery of government change that occurred in June 2009. The Department was created by merging the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).
	The following information has been drawn from various data sources and provides details for both of the former Departments that were merged to create BIS. We do not hold information prior to 2008 due to the merger as detailed above.
	
		
			 Financial year Number of bonuses 
			 2008/09 3,039 
			 2009/10 2,030 
			 2010/11 950 
			 2011/12 (1)720 
			 (1) This is not the final figure, some awards are outstanding.

Departmental Research

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department's budget for research and development was in each of the last five years; what the sciences component of that budget was in each such year; and what he expects such budgets to be in each year of the spending review period.

David Willetts: holding answer 7 November 2011
	Information on science and research spending is published in the Department's Annual Reports and Accounts for the relevant year:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/about/performance-reports/annual-reports
	The 2010-11 Annual Report and Accounts contains historic data for the years 2006-07 to 2010-11 at Annex D:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/corporate/docs/b/11-p102-bis-annual-report-and-accounts-2010-11.pdf
	The allocation of science and research funding over the spending review period was published in the following document:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/science/docs/a/10-1356-allocation-of-science-and-research-funding-2011-2015

Departmental Secondment

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2011, Official Report, columns 301-2W, on departmental secondment, what steps he has taken to ensure that industry plays a more active role in the business and policy-making of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 14 November 2011
	As the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Ministers and officials have frequent contact and discussions with business on a range of issues.
	We have expanded and strengthened industry specific forums, to actively pursue growth and remove barriers which are restricting enterprise.

Domestic Workers: Conditions of Employment

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of General Agreement on Trade in Services Mode 4 on the employment terms and conditions of domestic workers; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: Both the existing EU commitments in Mode 4 under the General Agreement on Trade in Services and the EU offer in Mode 4 in the Doha Round contain provisions clarifying that all other requirements of EU and member state laws and regulations regarding entry, stay, work and social security measures shall continue to apply.

Employment: Environment Protection

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support the Government provide to companies in the low-carbon and environmental goods and services sector to help them export overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade and Investment helps companies with low carbon technologies and environmental goods exports through its core services for businesses, such as trade missions, trade shows and exhibitions both overseas and in the UK.
	In addition, the green export campaign positions the UK as a leading provider of low carbon solutions in markets where there are strong, clear commercial opportunities. The campaign promotes the UK’s low carbon capabilities to international buyers and investors.
	UKTI work closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s overseas network to promote green growth including identifying new opportunities for UK businesses stemming from international agreements and overseas Governments’ policies in carbon reduction.

Employment: India

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Indian Government on the employment of foreign nationals in the UK on terms and conditions that differ from those applied to UK workers.

Edward Davey: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has met with relevant Ministers in the Indian Government in June, September and October 2010 and June 2011. A variety of matters were discussed, including immigration policy.

EU Grants and Loans

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he will take to ensure that areas which fall within a Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics 2 (County) Region for funding purposes under the draft EU regulations relating to the 2014 to 2020 EU Structural Fund, and which have a lower gross domestic product than the rest of the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics 2 region will not be disadvantaged in funding terms as a result of the banding system used.

Mark Prisk: Although the allocation system is designed around the nomenclature for territorial units for statistics (NUTS 2) classification, the Government will seek to ensure the UK programme reflects the needs of individual areas within it. The Government are currently considering the approach they will take to the funding in the 2014 to 2020 round.

EU Grants and Loans

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the administrative structure used to allocate funding allocated to the UK under the draft EU regulations relating to 2014-2020 EU structural fund and match funding will not exclude local communities and organisations from the allocation process.

Mark Prisk: The Government are currently considering their response to the draft regulations relating to the 2014-20 structural funds. As negotiations progress and the shape of the regulations for the 2014-20 round becomes clearer, we will further consider the administrative structures that we will use to deliver the funding, consulting with delivery partners.

EU Grants and Loans

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what response the Government intend to make to the draft EU regulations relating to 2014-2020 EU structural fund.

Mark Prisk: The UK supports the aim of cohesion policy in reducing disparities in development between the different regions of the EU, so that every part of the EU is able to develop to its full potential. The Government are currently considering the detail of the Commission's draft regulations for the 2014-20 structural funds and the implications for the UK, much of which is still to be clarified by the Commission. However, the Government have already published their position in relation to the Commission's Fifth Cohesion Report earlier this year, which set out some of the principles underpinning the draft regulations.

EU Grants and Loans

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make representations to the European Commission in relation to the draft EU regulations relating to the 2014-2020 EU Structural Fund, to ensure that significant funding is provided to support rural environments as well as urban development.

Mark Prisk: The Commission's draft regulations propose that at least 5% of the European Regional Development Fund should be allocated to the use of integrated territorial investments in urban areas. The Commission has yet to publish full details of its methodology for allocating funds but it is likely the bulk of the funding will continue to be allocated using objective criteria such as GDP.

EU Grants and Loans: Torbay

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the exception applying to regions with less than 75 per cent. of EU gross domestic product under the draft EU regulations relating to 2014-2020 EU Structural Fund will be applied to Torbay requiring it to allocate 60 per cent. instead of 80 per cent. of its funding to the thematic objectives laid down by the regulations.

Edward Davey: Torbay falls within the Devon NUTS 2 region. The most recent Eurostat GDP figures for the Devon NUTS 2 region show its GDP per capita as 89.6% of the EU average for the period 2006-08. As such, under the Commission's draft regulations, it would currently be classified as a transition region. The Commission's draft regulations would require at least 80% of the European Regional Development Fund for transition regions nationally to be allocated to three thematic objectives, and at least 70% of European Social Fund for transition regions nationally to be allocated to four investment priorities. It is too early to determine how funding will be allocated between regions. It should also be noted that the final regulations are likely to be based on more recent GDP data for regions across Europe, which are not yet available through Eurostat.

European Union

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many members of his Department are working on the Government's examination of the balance of existing EU competences.

Edward Davey: The examination of these issues draws on existing resources.

European Union

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many ministerial-level meetings have been held in his Department during the Government's examination of the balance of existing European Union competences.

Edward Davey: The Department routinely hosts ministerial meetings on issues covered in the coalition agreement.

Export Controls: Arms Trade

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps he has taken to implement Council Regulation (EC) No. 1236/2005 concerning trade in certain goods which could be used for capital punishment or torture; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Council Regulation (EC) No. 1236/2005 has direct effect in the UK and is binding in its entirety. The only implementing measures necessary were to provide for offences and penalties for breaches of the provisions relating to technical assistance. These measures were implemented at the time the regulation came into force on 30 July 2006.

Export Controls: Arms Trade

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to develop a control mechanism to be incorporated into Council Regulation (EC) No. 1236/2005 concerning trade in certain goods which could be used for capital punishment or torture to allow Governments to prohibit the trade of any items not specifically listed in the Regulation that have no use other than for the purposes of inflicting the death penalty, torture or other ill-treatment, or where there are reasonable grounds to believe that such items would be used for such purposes; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Government do support this idea in principle and have invited the European Commission to work on a proposal. This would require an amendment to Council Regulation (EC) No. 1236/2005, and therefore require a proposal from the Commission, which would then need to be approved by the Council and European Parliament. The Commission has indicated that it will begin discussions on possible amendments to the regulation in 2012.

Export Credit Guarantees: Egypt

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much is owed to the UK by Egypt through the Export Credits Guarantee Scheme; and in what categories of expenditure.

Edward Davey: Outstanding debts owed by Egypt to the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) amount to £94.25 million. Egypt defaulted on the payment of its external debt in 1986 which resulted in ECGD paying claims in respect of export contracts it had supported prior to this date. ECGD (and other official creditors) is recovering the claims it paid through a debt restructuring with Egypt arranged by the Paris Club, an informal network of official creditor nations whose role is to achieve co-ordinated solutions to the payment difficulties experienced by debtor countries. There are two rescheduling agreements dated 1987 and 1991.

Green Investment Bank

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  whether the green investment bank will have a function to invest in measures to improve air quality; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the green investment bank will have a role to invest in measures to protect and restore biodiversity; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether the green investment bank will have a role to invest in measures to improve air quality; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The UK Government are committed to setting the UK firmly on the transition to a green and growing economy and the green investment bank will become a key component of this progression, complementing other green policies to help accelerate additional capital. Our intention is for the bank to be given a broad remit, with Ministers and the board agreeing priority sectors periodically and the bank making individual investment decisions against a double bottom line of green impact and financial return.

Higher Education: Admissions

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UCAS applications have been submitted by residents of (a) Sheffield Central constituency, (b) Sheffield, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) Yorkshire and the Humber in the 2011-12 admissions cycle to date; and how many such applications had been submitted during the equivalent period of the 2010-11 admissions cycle.

David Willetts: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The latest information is in the following table and has been provided by the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS).
	UCAS have stated that year-on-year changes for all courses at this early stage in the cycle are often different from the position later in the cycle, and that it is too early in the cycle to extrapolate applicant volumes forward. The second table includes only those applicants who applied to courses with a deadline of 15 October. The main deadline for the majority of UCAS courses is 15 January.
	
		
			 Applicants to UCAS as at 15 October by parliamentary constituency/region 
			  Application cycle 
			 Area of domicile 2010-11 (1) 2011-12 (2) 
			 Sheffield Central constituency(3) 119 98 
			 Sheffield 464 404 
			 South Yorkshire 978 798 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 4,070 3,364 
			 (1 )Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2011, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2012. (2 )Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2012, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2013. (3 )Parliamentary constituency has been identified using the home postcode, regardless of the declared area of permanent residence. 
		
	
	
		
			 Applicants to courses with an 15 October deadline (1 ) by parliamentary constituency/region 
			  Application cycle 
			 Area of domicile 2010-11 (2) 2011-12 (3) 
			 Sheffield Central constituency(4) 93 84 
			 Sheffield 320 321 
			 South Yorkshire 570 573 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2,546 2,482 
			 (1) These cover medical, dentistry and veterinary science courses, and courses at Oxbridge. (2 )Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2011, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2012. (3 )Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2012, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2013. (4) Parliamentary constituency has been identified using the home postcode, regardless of the declared area of permanent residence.

Higher Education: Admissions

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applicants to each higher education institution held an access to higher education qualification in each of the last 10 years.

David Willetts: The latest available information is given in the table. The identification of Access to Higher Education qualifications on the UCAS application system was improved from 2009 onwards. Earlier years are not comparable and have not been reported. Final end of year data for 2011 have not yet been released. Due to low cell counts for individual institutions, data have been aggregated up to the country of institution where the applicant applied.
	
		
			 Applicants holding access to higher education qualifications by institution country applied to (1) 
			  Year of entry (2) 
			 Institution country applied to: 2009 2010 
			 England 17,699 26,974 
			 Northern Ireland 349 383 
			 Scotland 424 643 
			 Wales 1,609 2,507 
			 (1) Each applicant can submit up to five applications (or tour If they apply to medical, dentistry or veterinary courses). In this table, applicants have been counted once for each country they applied to. (2) Includes applicants who applied in each of these years for deferred entry in the following year.

Higher Education: Admissions

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UCAS applications have been submitted by residents of (a) Leicester South constituency, (b) the City of Leicester, (c) Leicestershire and (d) the East Midlands in the 2011-12 admissions cycle to date; and how many such applications had been submitted on the same date in the 2010-11 admissions cycle.

David Willetts: holding answer 15 November 2011
	The latest information is in the following tables and has been provided by the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS).
	UCAS have stated that year-on-year changes for all courses at this early stage in the cycle are often different from the position later in the cycle, and that it is too early in the cycle to extrapolate applicant volumes forward. The second table includes only those applicants who applied to courses with a deadline of 15 October. The main deadline for the majority of UCAS courses is 15 January.
	
		
			 All applicants to UCAS as at 15 October by parliamentary constituency/region 
			  Application cycle 
			 Area of domicile 2010-11 (1) 2011-12 (2) 
			 Leicester South constituency 116 110 
			 The City of Leicester 323 304 
			 Leicestershire 1,121 940 
			 East Midlands 4,109 3,286 
			 (1) Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2011, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2012. (2) Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2012, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2013. 
		
	
	
		
			 Applicants to courses with a 15 October deadline(1 )by parliamentary constituency/region 
			  Application cycle 
			 Area of domicile 2010-11 (2) 2011-12 (3) 
			 Leicester South constituency 75 84 
			 The City of Leicester 216 226 
			 Leicestershire 709 659 
			 East Midlands 2,289  
			 (1 )These cover medical, dentistry and veterinary science courses, and courses at Oxbridge. (2 )Applicants applying to enter courses stating in autumn 2011, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2012. (3 )Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2012, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2013.

Higher Education: Admissions

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applicants accepted to each higher education institution held an access to higher education qualification in each of the last 10 years.

David Willetts: The latest available information is given in the table. The identification of Access to Higher Education qualifications on the UCAS application system was improved from 2009 onwards. Earlier years are not comparable and have not been reported. Final end of year data for 2011 have not yet been released. Due to low cell counts for individual institutions, data have been aggregated up to the country of institution where the applicant was accepted.
	
		
			 Accepted applicants holding Access to Higher Education qualifications by institution country 
			 Institution country Year of entry (1) 
			  2009 2010 
			 England 12,680 18,389 
			 Northern Ireland 194 154 
			 Scotland 72 80 
			 Wales 735 961 
			 (1) Includes applicants who applied in each of these years for deferred entry in the following year.

Higher Education: Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many universities have research units in diabetes that are publicly funded.

David Willetts: The Medical Research Council (MRC) does not fund any units or centres devoted exclusively to diabetes research. However, the MRC has funded diabetes research projects in 38 organisations between 2008-09 and 2010-11, including 27 external organisations and 11 of the MRC's institutes, units and centres. These are listed in the following table.
	
		
			 Medical Research Council organisations External organisations 
			 MRC Clinical Sciences Centre Barts and The London School of Medicine 
			 MRC Clinical Trial Service Unit Cardiff University 
			 MRC Dunn Human Nutrition Unit Imperial College London 
		
	
	
		
			 MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre Institute of Child Health London 
			 MRC Epidemiology Unit Institute of Ophthalmology 
			 MRC General Practice Research Framework King's College London 
			 MRC Human Nutrition Research London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 
			 MRC Mammalian Genetics Unit Loughborough University 
			 MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit Newcastle University 
			 MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing Queen Mary, University of London 
			 National Institute for Medical Research Queen's University Belfast 
			  St George's, University of London 
			  The University of Manchester 
			  University College London 
			  University of Aberdeen 
			  University of Bath 
			  University of Birmingham 
			  University of Bristol 
			  University of Cambridge 
			  University of Dundee 
			  University of Edinburgh 
			  University of Leeds 
			  University of Leicester 
			  University of Liverpool 
			  University of Oxford 
			  University of Southampton 
			  University of Wales College of Medicine 
		
	
	The MRC's biggest investment in diabetes research is at the MRC Epidemiology Unit, which is based on the Addenbrookes Hospital site in Cambridge. Further details on this unit can be found at:
	http://www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/
	Full details of research funded by the MRC can be found on the MRC's research portfolio at:
	http://www.mrc.ac.uk/ResearchPortfolio/index.htm
	The Department of Health funds National Institute for Health Research biomedical research centres within leading NHS and university partnerships. Centres with a research theme in diabetes are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 NHS organisation Academic partner 
			 Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust University of Cambridge 
			 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust Imperial College London 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Newcastle University 
			 Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust University of Oxford 
		
	
	In addition, the Higher Education Funding Council for England provides funding to support excellent research across the breadth of disciplines within universities, which is used at individual universities' discretion.

Nuclear Suppliers Group

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what mechanism has been put in place to monitor the actions of countries who are members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group when the Government notifies them of the refusal of export licences.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 14 November 2011
	Consultations on denial notifications between members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) are an established feature of the regime. Issues of concern with NSG partners over denial notifications are raised on a bilateral basis or more widely in the various meetings of the NSG.

Office for Life Sciences

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what the resource budget of the Office for Life Sciences was in each year since it was established;
	(2)  how many full-time equivalent staff in each pay band were employed in the Office for Life Sciences in each year since it was established.

David Willetts: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The Office for Life Sciences (OLS) was established in January 2009 comprising officials from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), HM Treasury, the Department of Health (DH) and UK Trade and Investment (UKTI). The OLS had a remit to work with the life sciences industry to build a sustainable and integrated industry in the UK in the future. Its work culminated in the ‘Life Sciences Blueprint’, published in July 2009, followed by ‘Life Sciences 2010: Delivering the Life Sciences Blueprint’, published in January 2010.
	In May 2010, the OLS was restructured with all staff now funded by the Department. The OLS continues to work closely and collaboratively with the Department of Health to ensure the UK maintains and builds on its world leading position in life sciences.
	Table 1 contains details of the cross-departmental staff resources secured to run the OLS from February 2009 to May 2010. Table 2 contains details of staff allocated to the work of the OLS from May 2010 through to present day. The discrete numbers for OLS (in the second table) are thus, however, in addition we have a virtual team network across BIS and DH (and associated non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) which reaches out to some 25-30 people on an “as needed” basis for project work which crosses departmental and divisional boundaries.
	
		
			 Table 1 
			 Grade OLS Dedicated to policy function in DH Dedicated to function in BIS Bioscience Unit 
			 SCS PB2 0.5 0.2 0.5 
			 SCS PB1 1 <1 1 
			 Grade 6 1 0 1 
			 Grade 7 5 3 5 
			 SEO 0 0 0 
			 HEO 0 3 2.5 
			 EO 1 2.5 1 
			 Fast Stream 0 0 0 
			 AO 0 2 1 
			 Total 8.5 <10.7 12 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2 
			 Grade May 2010 June 2010 September 2010 November 2010 April 2011 July 2011 November 2011 
			 SCS 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Grade 6 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Grade 7 8 6 6 5 5 5 5 
			 SEO 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 
			 HEO 2.5 2.5 0.9 1.9 1.9 1.9  
			 EO 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 
			 Fast Stream 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 
			 Project Pool 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 23.5 16.5 15.9 17.9 14.9 15 15 
		
	
	Given the cross-departmental working arrangements prior to May 2010, data relating to the resource budget are only available from that point, as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Month Budget (£) 
			 2010-11 May 1,185,544 
			 2010-11 June 970,050 
			 2011-12 April 692,700

Overseas Trade: South America

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to increase bilateral trade with (a) Chile, (b) Peru, (c) Uruguay, (d) Paraguay and (e) Bolivia; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague)’s 2010 Canning Lecture confirmed the UK Government's plan to look again at Latin America in terms of political co-operation and trade and investment.
	UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) supports British companies by identifying opportunities, potential clients and partners in the market. Visits and business events are arranged to promote specific opportunities and raise the profile of UK companies. Over the last year, UKTI has helped companies in a wide range of sectors in Chile and Peru, including education, financial services, mining, energy, defence and security.
	UKTI targets its overseas network, to ensure that resources are deployed in those markets where there is demand. A number of diplomatic positions have been created in Latin America to focus on the Government's prosperity and commercial diplomacy agenda.
	UKTI does not have a presence in Bolivia, Uruguay and Paraguay. However, high-level support from our ambassadors in those countries is available, particularly in respect of contract negotiations or market access issues.

Pollution Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the (a) turnover, (b) level of employment and (c) level of exports attributable to the transport pollution control sector in each year to 2020.

Mark Prisk: HM Government have made no estimates regarding projected turnover, employment or exports relating to transport pollution control mechanisms.

Post Offices: Guisborough

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received from Guisborough Town Council on Royal Mail privatisation.

Edward Davey: This Department's records do not show any representation from Guisborough Town Council on Royal Mail privatisation other than the petition presented to Parliament by the hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland on 9 November 2011 (P000977).

Post Offices: Guisborough

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the closure of the Guisborough Royal Mail Delivery Office on businesses in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.

Edward Davey: Ensuring that Royal Mail has the right facilities in the right places to enable it to collect, process, and deliver mail is an operational matter for the company. I have therefore asked the chief executive of Royal Mail, Moya Greene, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices: Suffolk

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been paid in Post Office Network Subsidy to (a) each county in England, (b) Suffolk and (c) Suffolk Coastal constituency in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011.

Edward Davey: The Government provide an annual subsidy to Post Office Ltd. This is in recognition of the important social and economic role that post offices play in communities across the country in providing access to services in communities where other providers do not. This subsidy is granted to enable Post Office Ltd to maintain a national network of around 11,500 branches and to meet the strict Government access criteria. The subsidy is not distributed by country, county, or constituency.
	In the last financial year (2010/11) the Government made a subsidy payment of £150 million. This financial year (2011/12) the Government will make a subsidy payment of £180 million.

Public Sector Employee Bids

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to put in place a right to provide for public sector workers to take over the running of services; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken to encourage the development of public service mutuals in its area of responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), announced in November 2010 that every Department will put in place Rights to Provide to take over the running of services. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), is working with Cabinet Office to consider whether areas of central Government work, and other work areas for which BIS has responsibility, are appropriate for developing public sector mutuals.
	Within BIS work is being carried out on:
	Post Office mutualisation:
	The Government believe Post Office Ltd could be ideally suited to a mutual model, with those that know it best working together, with a greater say in how the business is run, as well as a stake in its success.
	A public consultation, “Building a Mutual Post Office”, was launched on 19 September and sets out options to move the Post Office from Government ownership to a mutual model.
	It proposes mixed membership to give sub-postmasters, employees, post office customers and local communities a direct role in setting the strategic direction of the business. The Postal Services Act 2011 requires any mutualised Post Office Ltd to act for the public benefit.
	Converting Post Office Ltd—the national company that sets the strategy for the post office network and operates some of the larger, ‘Crown' branches—to a mutual would not affect the ownership of the thousands of privately-owned post office branches up and down the country.
	Subject to consultation, the Government believe that the Post Office could be on a clear path to mutualisation by the end of this Parliament.
	Further education:
	Forms of mutualisation are part of the wide range of delivery models that further education colleges, as independent providers of publicly-funded further education services, can consider when determining how best to meet the needs of their local communities. A number of colleges are considering mutualisation approaches and this Department is following their progress with interest.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2011, Official Report, columns 111-12W, on Regional Growth Fund, what procedures (a) he and (b) his officials have used to verify the estimates of indirect job creation supplied by successful bidders to the second round of the Regional Growth Fund.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 14 November 2011
	All of the figures for indirect job creation from the winning bids announced from the second round of the Regional Growth Fund on 31 October 2011 were taken directly from the bids submitted from successful bidders. Where direct or indirect jobs were incorrectly classified, jobs were put under the correct heading. Successful bidders who have completed due diligence and have received final grant offer letters, will provide the Department with reports on the progress of their projects including the number of jobs created (as provided in their bid) against which they will be able to draw down funding.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2011, Official Report, columns 111-12W, on Regional Growth Fund, how many of the recommended bids put forward for the second round of the Regional Growth Fund by its independent advisory panel were rejected by the Ministerial Group chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The independent advisory panel was set up to provide advice to Ministers to inform their decisions. This advice was not public, but Ministers took this advice into account when deciding which bids should be supported.
	In line with the constitutional convention of collective decision-making, and section 2 of the Ministerial Code, the Government do not disclose details of the internal process through which decisions are taken.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when recipients of the first round of Regional Growth Fund awards were notified in writing of the amount they will receive; and when due diligence for each award was completed.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 14 November 2011
	All successful bidders from the first round of Regional Growth Fund were notified of the outcome of their bid by e-mail on 11 April 2011. So far, nine individual bids have completed due diligence and have been issued with final offer letters.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when due diligence for the award of monies from the first round of the Regional Growth Fund was started; when such due diligence was completed; and when recipients were notified in writing that due diligence had been completed.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 14 November 2011
	It is for successful bidders to initiate due diligence upon receipt of a conditional offer letter from the Department. A majority of successful bids from the first round are going through due diligence and we expect the reports to be sent to the Department soon. So far, nine individual bids have completed due diligence and have been issued with final offer letters.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what the cost was of due diligence associated with each of the recipients of the first round of Regional Growth Fund awards; and what proportion such costs represented of the respective amount of the award;
	(2)  whether recipients of Regional Growth Fund awards are liable for due diligence costs associated with respective projects.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 14 November 2011
	It is for successful bidders to pay the cost of due diligence.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which of the recipients of the first round of Regional Growth Fund awards provide onward distribution of financial awards.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 14 November 2011
	Of the successful bids from Round 1 of the Regional Growth Fund, six bids will provide onward distribution of financial awards. They are:
	Community Development Finance Association
	RBS and NatWest Regional Growth Scheme
	Capital for Enterprise Ltd
	HSBC
	Liverpool Echo
	University of Plymouth (The South West Aspire Fund)

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when completion of due diligence by recipients of the first round of Regional Growth Fund awards will be completed where it has not yet been completed; what funds have been received by recipients of such awards; and when recipients will receive any outstanding monies.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 15 November 2011
	Time scales for due diligence are driven by the individual commercial considerations of the beneficiaries, so it is not possible to give a date for completion.
	Instalments of Regional Growth Fund funding are normally transferred to beneficiaries within 30 days of receiving a valid claim. There are no beneficiaries with a claim for funding outstanding at this time.

Regional Growth Fund: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many bids for money from the Regional Growth Fund were made by organisations in Warrington in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many of those were successful.

Mark Prisk: 28 bids that will have an impact in the Warrington area (this includes bids from organisations in Warrington which could have an impact in more than one area) were received in the second round of the Regional Growth Fund. Of these, 15 bids were successful.

Research: Costs

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the rate at which research costs are changing.

David Willetts: The Government have protected research spending by ring fencing the annual £4.6 billion resource budget for science and research for this spending review period, committing itself to investing over £20 billion in science and research by 2015.
	At the time of the settlement, the Government were using the GDP deflator which came close to 10% by the end of SR10. The Government recognise that general inflation forecasts will vary over time and calculations of specific inflation rates in particular sectors will give variations around those.

Science: Higher Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage universities to offer more science, technology, engineering and mathematics qualifications in higher education.

David Willetts: holding answer 7 November 2011
	Following the publication of the Higher Education White Paper in June, Ministers wrote to Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) instructing the Council that meeting the additional costs of high cost subjects remains a priority for teaching funding for 2012/13. Ministers asked HEFCE to consult, over the summer, on how this might best be achieved and will issue final instructions in the grant letter, due around the turn of the year. Ministers also asked HEFCE to consult, in winter, on the longer term approach to allocating teaching funding, for 2013/14 and beyond, and, in particular, on how to ensure that this funding continues to support a healthy mix of subjects (including science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
	The Government also understand that science, technology, engineering and maths skills are vital to businesses, health and research, and want to ensure that students are more aware of the value of undertaking these courses at HE institutions. The Higher Education White Paper also outlined a strategy for improving the information published by HE institutions which have been asked to do more to explain the benefits of studying different subjects so that potential students can make informed choices about what to study.

Scotland

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of contracts issued by (a) his Department and (b) agencies for which he is responsible were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in (i) Scotland, (ii) South Lanarkshire and (iii) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.

Edward Davey: Information on the Department's procurement spend level with small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in September 2011 will shortly be compiled and placed in the Libraries of the House in December. This will include details of the proportion of spend with SMEs in (i) Scotland, (ii) South Lanarkshire and (iii) Rutherglen and Hamilton West for that period.
	I have asked chief executives of the Executive agencies to respond directly to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Geoff Russell, dated 14 June 2011
	Thank you for your parliamentary question addressed to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, asking what proportion of contracts issued by the Skills Funding Agency (the Agency) were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in (i) Scotland, (ii) South Lanarkshire and (iii) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.
	Please be advised the Agency has not awarded any contracts to small and medium-sized enterprises in any of the areas stated above in the latest period for which figures are available.
	Letter from Dr David Williams
	Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills asking what proportion of contracts issued by (a) his Department and (b) agencies for which he is responsible were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in (i) Scotland, (ii) South Lanarkshire and (iii) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. (60194)
	The UK Space Agency became an executive agency on the 1st April 2011 and no contracts have been awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in (i) Scotland, (ii) South Lanarkshire and (iii) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency since 1st April 2011.
	Letter from Stephen Speed
	The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question what proportion of contracts issued by (a) his Department and (b) agencies for which he is responsible were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in (i) Scotland, (ii) South Lanarkshire and (iii) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.
	Although The Insolvency Service contracts for goods and services in Scotland, its organisational presence there is limited. The centrally-managed contracts serving our Edinburgh office are mainly with companies too large to be considered SMEs. However in financial year 2010 to 2011, one of the six legal services providers on our legal services framework, total value estimated at £20 million, is an SME and falls into category (i) above.
	Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 8 (th)  July 2011
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 13 June 2011, UIN 60194 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	As Companies House's main office is in South Wales only 2.4% of our contracts in the last financial year were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in Scotland, and none in South Lanarkshire or Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituencies.
	Letter from Peter Mason, dated 28 September 2011
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (formerly National Weights and Measures Laboratory) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 13 June 2011 (reference 2010/5788) to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills asking what proportion of contracts issued by (a) his Department and (b) Agencies for which he is responsible were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in (i) Scotland, (ii) South Lanarkshire and (iii) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.
	The National Measurement Office does not maintain details of the contracts it awards in a manner which can readily be analysed to identify whether the supplier is a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).
	However, having identified invoices we have paid during the Financial Year 2010/11 to Scottish suppliers directly, we are able to confirm the following:
	Several invoices were paid in respect of work carried out by TUV NEL Ltd. They are based in South Lanarkshire but not in your constituency. They are not an SME.
	One invoice was paid in respect of work carried out by what appears to be an SME in Scotland (but not in South Lanarkshire or your constituency).
	One invoice was paid in respect of work carried out by what appears to be an SME in South Lanarkshire (but not in your constituency).
	In addition, we make a large number of purchases using the Government Procurement Card but we would not be able to identify Scottish suppliers from our data without incurring disproportionate costs.
	Letter from John Alty, dated 10 November 2011
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 13th June 2011, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Intellectual Property Office has had no contracts awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in (i) Scotland, (ii) South Lanarkshire and (iii) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.

Students: Finance

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many cases of non-payment of tuition fee loans by EU students are being pursued by Student Finance England.

David Willetts: holding answer 8 November 2011
	The figures are available at table 1 (iii) within the Official Statistics for the tax year 2000-01 to 2009-10 inclusive which is accessible at:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/pdf/SLCOSP022011.pdf
	The Student Loan Company (SLC) has established repayment arrangements for former students who move abroad, whether temporarily or permanently. In such cases the SLC requests evidence of earnings and gives the borrower a monthly repayment schedule under the terms of the contract of the loan.
	If any borrowers are due to repay and are not doing so, the SLC will not write off loans but will continue to recover arrears and outstanding balances until they expire. SLC use tracing agents to locate borrowers and will pursue any such borrowers through the courts, if necessary.
	EC Regulation 44/2001 enables the SLC to obtain judgments in UK courts, which can be enforced by courts in other EU countries. These judgments can be enforced against any borrower who has moved to another EU member state, regardless of nationality.
	SLC is currently in the process of raising court action against a number of overseas residents. The actual number who will be taken to court is not yet known, because raising such action often leads to borrowers contacting the SLC to arrange repayment.

Students: Loans

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received from former students with student loans on the service they have received from those administering their loan repayment.

David Willetts: We do receive complaints about problems encountered with the collection of student loans. However, this Department does not hold records of the number of representations we receive from borrowers on the service they have received from those administering their loan repayment. To put this into context, at the end of 2010-11, there were 3.5 million borrowers and, of these, 2.3 million had accounts liable for repayment.

Students: Loans

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure the efficient administration of student loans.

David Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills reviews the performance of the Student Loans Company (SLC) regularly. SLC is committed to improving the quality of service it delivers. Steps this year included the introduction of an electronic link with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs to verify household income, meaning SLC was able to process the majority of new students' applications for means-tested support without asking customers to send in paper copies of financial evidence.

Supermarkets: Competition

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects the Groceries Code Adjudicator to be in place.

Edward Davey: The draft Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill has undergone pre-legislative scrutiny, and Parliament published the Government's response to the BIS Select Committee report on 15 October 2011. We now aim to introduce a Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill as soon as parliamentary time allows.

TICC Skillcentres: Redundancy

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many employees were made redundant when the Training for Industry and Commerce Company skills training centres went into liquidation; and how many of such employees received ex-gratia payments from the public purse.

Edward Davey: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 29 October 2008, Official Report , column 1077W; 16 October 2008, Official Report, column 1428W; and 6 October 2008, Official Report, column 292W.

Training: Internet

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the criteria are for mentors to be considered appropriate to be featured on the Mentors Me website.

Mark Prisk: All of the organisations available via the portal have been assessed to ensure that they meet certain quality standards including:
	a programme of training and development of mentors;
	a robust process for identifying and matching mentors and mentees; and
	a code of conduct or code of ethics.
	Any organisation wishing to be listed on the portal must sign up to and adhere to these requirements. The type of training for individual mentors will be determined by the mentoring organisation to which they belong and will vary according to the way in which that mentoring organisation works, the type of mentoring being delivered, and the experience of the mentor. All mentoring organisations on the portal train and develop their mentors and many organisations also encourage their mentors to move towards accreditation.

UK Trade & Investment: Expenditure

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much UK Trade & Investment spent in (a) the EU and (b) each other European country in the last year for which figures are available.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 14 November 2011
	The full economic cost of UKTI operations in 2010/11 was:
	(a) £49.5 million in the EU; and
	(b) £14.1 million in wider Europe, comprised of:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 Russia 4.3 
			 Turkey 2.7 
			 Switzerland 2.2 
			 Norway 1.8 
			 Kazakhstan 0.8 
			 Croatia 0.5 
			 Serbia and Montenegro(1) 0.5 
			 Ukraine 0.5 
			 Azerbaijan 0.4 
			 Iceland 0.3 
			 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.2 
			  14.1 
			 (1) Separate figures unavailable

UK Trade & Investment: Finance

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding the Government plan to provide to UK Trade & Investment to promote the UK's low-carbon and environmental goods and services sector in each year to 2014-15.

Mark Prisk: It is not possible to provide details of UK Trade and Investment funding in future years as these budgets have yet to be finalised.

UK Trade & Investment: Finance

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Government have provided to UK Trade & Investment to promote the UK's low carbon and environmental goods and services sector in each year since 2000.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade & Investment promotes UK low carbon and environmental goods and services across all sectors of the economy through its overseas posts, sectors group and regional networks. Given the breadth of activity across sectors and teams within UKTI it is not possible to dissociate the exact funding provided to deliver these services.

Utilities

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many times he has met representatives of (a) EDF Energy, (b) RWE nPower, (c) E.ON, (d) Scottish Power, (e) British Gas and (f) Scottish and Southern Energy since May 2010; and if he will publish minutes of such meetings.

Edward Davey: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has had one meeting with each of EDF Energy and RWE nPower, and no meetings with any of the other companies listed.
	We do not propose to publish the notes of these meetings as they contain commercially confidential information. It is essential to the trust on which meaningful dialogue with business is founded that companies are assured that Government will respect commercial confidentiality.

Vocational Education

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students in (a) England and (b) the United Kingdom began a course in (i) Level 2 Certificate in Electrotechnical Technology, (ii) Level 3 Certificate in Electrotechnical Technology, (iii) Level 2 Certificate in Basic Plumbing Studies, (iv) Level 3 Certificate in Plumbing Studies, (v) Level 2 Certificate in Heating and Ventilation and (vi) Level 3 Certificate in Heating and Ventilation in academic year 2011-12; and what the cost to the public purse was of funding each such course.

John Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of Government-funded further education and skills enrolments on certificates in electrotechnical technology, plumbing studies, and heating and ventilation installation courses by level in 2009/10, the latest year for which final data are available.
	The figures include enrolments across all further education learning routes, including further education, apprenticeships, workplace learning, adult safeguarded learning and university for industry funding streams.
	
		
			 Table 1: Further education enrolments on certificates in electrotechnical technology, plumbing studies and heating and ventilation installation courses by level in 2009/10 
			 Enrolments 
			 Learning aim title Level 2 Level 3 Total 
			 Certificate in electrotechnical technology 26,580 18,220 44,810 
			 Certificate in (basic at level 2) plumbing studies 19,110 6,690 25,790 
			 Certificate in heating and ventilation installation 2,230 860 3,100 
			 Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10, totals may not sum to due to rounding. 2. These data include Further Education, Apprenticeships, Work Based Learning, Adult Safeguarded Learning and University for Industry funding streams. 3. These data represent the number of enrolments matching these aim titles only. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on further education and skills participation, enrolments and achievements is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 27 October 2011:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
	Information on further education and skills enrolments by aim title for academic years 2007/08 to 2009/10 is available in the National Aims Report:
	http://mireportslibrary.thedataservice.org.uk/learners/
	Table 2 provides the funding rates for certificates in electrotechnical technology, plumbing studies, and heating and ventilation installation courses by level in the 2009/10 academic year.
	
		
			 Table 2: Funding rates for certificates in electrotechnical technology, plumbing studies and heating and ventilation installation courses by level in 2009/10 
			 £ 
			    Skills Funding Agency (19+) 
			 Learning aim title Level Young People's Learning Agency (16-18) Adult Learner Responsive Workplace Learning Apprenticeships (19+) 
			 Certificate in electrotechnical technology Level 2 3,796 3,662 1,618 4,069 
			 Certificate in electrotechnical technology Level 3 1,898 1,831 (1)— 2,036 
			 Certificate in basic plumbing studies Level 2 4,176 4,028 1,618 4,028 
			 Certificate in plumbing studies Level 3 3,583 3,459 2,429 3,091 
			 Certificate in heating and ventilation installation Level 2 4,555 4,395 1,618 4,395 
			 Certificate in heating and ventilation installation Level 3 3,796 3,662 2,429 2,036 
			 (1) Not funded Note: The rates represent the notional level of funding for a particular qualification. They do not necessarily represent the actual amount of funding paid to providers. This is because allocations are made at provider level based on aggregated data, so can not be disaggregated to qualification level. Source: Young People’s Learning Agency (for ages 16 to 18) and Skills Funding Agency (for ages 19+) 
		
	
	In the 2011/12 academic year further education colleges and providers had an adult skills budget with earmarked investment for 19+ apprenticeships. We believe that only those qualifications which are aligned with the needs of employers, and recognised by them, should be funded. This is supported by the Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF). Therefore, in line with the migration of qualifications onto the QCF, from the 2011/12 academic year, only the certificates in electrotechnical technology at levels 2 and 3 remain eligible for funding through 19+ apprenticeships.

JUSTICE

Bereaved Organisations Committee

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 256W, on coroners, whether representatives of any faith groups will sit on his proposed Bereaved Organisations Committee.

Jonathan Djanogly: We are currently considering the composition of the Bereaved Organisations Committee. If it is not practicable for faith groups to be represented on the committee itself then we will work with it to determine how faith issues will be properly represented in its work.

Equality and Diversity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps his Department has taken to increase equality in his Department; and what the cost was of any such steps.

Crispin Blunt: As a Department, MoJ is working to embed equality and diversity as a normal part of everyday business. As an employer the MoJ is committed to ensuring that our policies are fair and accessible to all, and as a provider of services, that this is done so in a way that meets the aims of the Public Sector Equality Duty (Equality Act 2010).
	Recent initiatives have included: the launch of a Reasonable Adjustment Support Service to help ensure disabled staff are effectively supported and able to contribute fully to delivering the business of the Department; in-house development of e-learning to support staff in challenging discrimination; Prison Service and Agency Instructions on ensuring equality of treatment for staff in National Offender Management Service headquarters and public sector prison establishments; new guidance to ensure staff performance management is effective and fair; and work to better understand the demographic make up of our staff and any specific needs that will help us ensure they are fully engaged and performing at their best. This work has been undertaken as part of normal business as usual activity and is not costed separately.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many unique hits his departmental website has received in each of the last 12 months.

Jonathan Djanogly: The following table shows the number of unique visitors to www.justice.gov.uk in each of the last 12 months, the total number of visits made by them and the number of pages viewed. Traffic to the website has increased following the closure of a number of other websites, such as Her Majesty's Courts Service and Her Majesty's Prison Service, and incorporation of the content of those websites in www.justice.gov.uk
	
		
			  Visits Visitors Page views 
			 2 010    
			 November 341,126 226,588 1,059,278 
			 December 250,923 171,795 759,666 
			     
			 2011    
			 January 334,900 228,759 1,054,555 
			 February 318,673 219,825 990,315 
			 March 377,111 253,939 1,175,637 
			 April 475,118 303,909 2,446,704 
			 May 658,459 416,453 2,944,271 
			 June 740,339 466,246 3,335,665 
			 July 922,657 572,291 4,253,138 
			 August 963,358 599,997 4,672,639 
			 September 1,007,543 635,718 4,404,860 
			 October 1,116,774 690,820 5,080,780

Judicial Review

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what applications for judicial review have been made against his Department (a) in the last Parliament and (b) since May 2010; whether each such application (i) succeeded, (ii) failed and (iii) remains pending; what legal costs were incurred by his Department for each such application; in each failed application whether he applied for costs against the applicant and whether they were (A) awarded and (B) paid; whether his Department (1) paid for and (2) offered to pay for the legal costs incurred by each such applicant; and what the total cost to the public purse was of payment of the legal costs for each such applicant.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) was created in June 2007 when some functions of the Home Office (probation, prisons and prevention of reoffending) were combined with those of the Department of Constitutional Affairs (DCA). We have therefore provided data for the MoJ, and the DCA and the relevant functions of the Home Office transferred to the MoJ prior to its creation.
	The information provided only covers those judicial review applications where Treasury Solicitor (TSol) represented the Department. It does not include those matters that are dealt with directly by individual courts or tribunals, or those few in which TSol were not instructed. This information is not recorded centrally or in a manner that is easily retrievable and the cost of collating it would be disproportionate.
	The following data from 2007 include MoJ Corporate and Headquarters, National Offender Management Service, HM Prison Service, Legal Services Complaints Commissioner, National Probation Service, Special Educational Needs Tribunal, Youth Justice Board and HM Courts and Tribunals Service when TSol have acted. Some cases included in the data commenced before the creation of MoJ but were carried across to the new Department as ongoing matters. For consistency those case data have been mapped across as appropriate.
	An assumption has been made that the last parliamentary period began in May 2005 and ended in April 2010, a precise breakdown of information requested for the actual parliamentary dates would require more a detailed examination of the files which would incur disproportionate costs.
	The number of judicial review applications against the MoJ and the areas of the Departments that were moved across to it opened by TSol in the applicable time periods are:
	For the period May 2005 to April 2010: 2,316 judicial review case files were opened.
	Since the creation of MoJ in May 2007 to April 2010: 1,675 judicial review case files were opened.
	Since May 2010: 1,054 judicial review case files have been opened.
	The outcome of judicial review applications is not recorded centrally and can not be provided without searching through each file individually which would incur disproportionate costs.
	As of 15 November 2011 TSol had 874 open files relating to applications for judicial review against the Department. It should be noted that there is no correlation between this figure and the number of opened cases in any period.
	Information on the legal costs of each application is not kept centrally or in a manner that can be easily broken down without searching through each file individually which would incur disproportionate costs.
	The total costs for the cases on file with TSol include VAT, TSol fees, charges and disbursements but do not include costs of other parties or any damages paid. This information is not recorded centrally or in a manner that can be easily collated without incurring disproportionate costs.
	Costs on the 2,316 cases opened between May 2005 and April 2010 are £11,778,598.
	Since the creation of MoJ in May 2007, costs on the 1,675 cases opened to April 2010 are £7,753,116.
	Since May 2010 costs for the 1,054 cases opened are £3,261,433.

Departmental Manpower

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time employees his Department had in each year since 1997.

Kenneth Clarke: Since 1997 there has been a significant number of machinery of government changes, which resulted in the establishment of the Ministry of Justice in May 2007. These changes included the establishment of the Department of Constitutional Affairs from the Lord Chancellor’s Department in June 2003; the creation of Her Majesty's Courts Service from the Magistrates Courts Service and the Court Service in April 2005; the setting up of the Tribunals Service from other Government Departments in April 2006; and the establishment of HM Courts and Tribunal Service in April 2011.
	Along with the organisational changes, the management information systems and the data they hold have been subject to significant change. As a consequence, any information on numbers of staff in all the Department's predecessors for 1997 onwards can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	However, it is possible to provide recently published information on civil servants for the Ministry from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) website. The following links provide workforce statistics and profiles (including working patterns) for the Ministry and other Government Departments:
	For March 2007 (table 12):
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pse/civil-service-statistics/2007/civil-service-statistics.xls
	For March 2008 (table 35):
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pse/civil-service-statistics/2008/civil-service-statistics.xls
	For March 2009 (table 42):
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pse/civil-service-statistics/2009/civil-service-statistics.xls
	For March 2010:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pse/civil-service-statistics/2010-results/civil-service-statistics-2010-data-summary-tool.xls
	For March 2011:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-229310

Disability Living Allowance: Appeals

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the average waiting time was between submission of an appeal against a decision on the award of disability living allowance and the date of the appeal hearing in each local authority area or at the lowest available recording level;
	(2)  how many people are awaiting a tribunal hearing after having been refused disability living allowance in each local authority area or at the lowest available recording area for the most recent period for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many people appealing against the withdrawal of disability living allowance have had the date of their appeal hearing brought forward on grounds of hardship in each local authority area or at the lowest available recording area for the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: Data for the Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) tribunal cannot be provided by local authority area. All appeals to the tribunal are registered in the processing centre in the region where the appellant lives, and data can be broken down to the level of these processing centres.
	The following table shows the average time from receipt at HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) to hearing for disability living allowance (DLA) appeals for the area served by each processing centre. The information covers 1 April 2011 to 30 September 2011, the latest period for which figures are available.
	
		
			 Disability living allowance appeals average waiting time by processing centre 
			 Processing centre September 2011 —Y ear to date (week s ) 
			 Birmingham (Central and Eastern England) 29.62 
			 Cardiff (Wales and SW England) 21.02 
			 Glasgow (Scotland) 22.53 
			 Leeds (NE England—North and West Yorkshire) 25.98 
			 Newcastle (NE England) 28.89 
			 Liverpool (NW England) 28.26 
			 Sutton (London and SE England) 22.39 
			 All 25.59 
		
	
	Claimants can appeal to the tribunal on a number of different grounds, such as the rate of benefit awarded or refusal of benefit. The tribunal does not record the issue under appeal and, therefore, cannot isolate data relating to appeals on the basis of having been refused DLA. The total number of “live” DLA appeals (appeals at various stages of the process before hearing or decision) at 30 September 2011, the most recent period for which statistics have been published, was 42,600, down from 44,500 at the end of June 2011.
	A regional breakdown of those data has not previously been published. As the management information system for SSCS is a live system which is continuously updated, it is not possible to provide retrospective data on the number of live cases by region which would be consistent with the official published statistics. I will, therefore, arrange for the numbers of live appeals in each area at end December to be provided to the right hon. Lady when those data are published as official statistics in March 2012.
	The tribunal does not record the number of appeals rescheduled for an earlier hearing. Information on the number of people appealing against the withdrawal of disability living allowance that have had the date of their appeal hearing brought forward on grounds of hardship is, therefore, unavailable.

Drugs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many members of his Department have been disciplined due to drug offences in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what his Department's policy is on mandatory drug testing of its employees.

Kenneth Clarke: Two employees in my Department were dismissed as a result of disciplinary action for drug offences in the 12 months ending 31 October 2011. Both of these were for bringing a controlled substance on to departmental premises.
	My Department does not have a mandatory drugs testing policy for employees. However, it does have employee policies on drugs and alcohol. All employees are expected to report fit for work, and any indication that an employee had reported for work in an unfit state through drug abuse would be investigated. Being unfit for duty through drink or drug abuse is a breach of the required standards of conduct.
	Drugs-related offences are regarded particularly seriously in disciplinary terms. Conviction of a criminal offence—or receipt of a police caution—for a drugs-related offence is considered gross misconduct. Drugs-related offences may result in dismissal even if the individual does not receive a custodial sentence.

Harassment: Convictions

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people prosecuted under section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 were convicted; and how many received a (a) custodial sentence, (b) fine and (c) non-custodial sentence in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08 and (iii) 2008-09.

Crispin Blunt: The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and sentenced at all courts, by result, under section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act and section 32 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, in England and Wales for the financial years 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 can be viewed in the following table.
	Under section 32 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 a person is guilty of an offence of racially or religiously aggravated harassment if they commit an offence under section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 which is racially or religiously aggravated (as defined in section 28 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998).
	
		
			 Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and sentenced at all courts, by result, under section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act, and section 32 of the Crime Disorder Act 1998, England and Wales, 2006-09 (1, 2) 
			 Statute/offence description 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 (3) 
			 Section 2 Protection from Harassment Act 1997    
			 Offence of harassment    
			 Proceeded against 5,006 4,940 4,865 
			 Found guilty 3,543 3,650 3,892 
			 Sentenced(4) 3,566 3,671 3,893 
			 Of which:    
			 Fine 367 410 553 
			 Immediate custody 387 394 462 
			 Community sentence 1,299 1,390 1,648 
			 Suspended sentence 268 261 335 
			 Other sentences(5) 1,245 1,216 895 
			     
			 Crime and Disorder Act 1998, S.32    
			 Racially aggravated offence of harassment    
			 Religiously aggravated offence of harassment    
			 Racially or religiously aggravated offence of harassment    
		
	
	
		
			 Proceeded against 191 186 239 
			 Found guilty 125 126 144 
			 Sentenced(4) 127 128 145 
			 Of which:    
			 Fine 17 21 16 
			 Immediate custody 10 15 23 
			 Community sentence 57 49 62 
			 Suspended sentence 12 18 22 
			 Other sentences(5) 31 25 22 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. (4) The sentenced column may exceed those found guilty as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty, and committed for sentence at the Crown court, may be sentenced in the following year. (5) Other sentences includes: absolute discharge, conditional discharge, and otherwise dealt with. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services: Ministry of Justice.

Insolvency: Fraud

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the potential effect of proposed changes to (a) conditional fee arrangements and (b) after-the-event insurance on the effectiveness of measures to address fraud in insolvency cases.

Jonathan Djanogly: As I stated in my answer on 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 183W, an updated impact assessment was published alongside the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill which includes provisions on the proposed reform of no win no fee conditional fee agreements. Officials are continuing to discuss the likely impacts of these changes in relation to insolvency proceedings.

Knives: Convictions

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people aged (a) under 18 years and (b) over 18 years were convicted for possessing a knife in 2010 in each police force area.

Crispin Blunt: The number of persons found guilty at all courts for having an article with a blade or point, by age group, and police force area in England and Wales, for the year 2010 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
	Annual court proceedings data for 2011 will be available in the spring of 2012.
	
		
			 Persons found guilty at all courts for offences of having a blade or article which was sharply pointed in a public place or on a school premises, by age group, and police force area, England and Wales, 2010 (1, 2, 3) 
			 Number 
			 Police force area 18 years and under Over 18 years 
			 Avon and Somerset 29 130 
			 Bedfordshire 19 59 
			 Cambridgeshire 6 49 
			 Cheshire 9 74 
			 City of London — 10 
			 Cleveland 16 76 
			 Cumbria 10 39 
			 Derbyshire 14 71 
			 Devon and Cornwall 25 116 
			 Dorset 15 64 
			 Durham 13 57 
			 Essex 39 159 
			 Gloucestershire 4 45 
			 Greater Manchester 55 245 
			 Hampshire 37 142 
			 Hertfordshire 22 78 
			 Humberside 24 91 
			 Kent 19 93 
			 Lancashire 27 163 
			 Leicestershire 11 72 
			 Lincolnshire 16 56 
			 Merseyside 39 213 
			 Metropolitan Police 493 1,034 
			 Norfolk 18 88 
			 North Yorkshire 17 55 
			 Northamptonshire 13 73 
			 Northumbria 51 220 
			 Nottinghamshire 31 114 
			 South Yorkshire 36 119 
			 Staffordshire 24 78 
			 Suffolk 12 45 
			 Surrey 10 36 
			 Sussex 20 103 
			 Thames Valley 28 175 
			 Warwickshire 5 20 
			 West Mercia 21 93 
			 West Midlands 79 268 
			 West Yorkshire 26 159 
			 Wiltshire 15 45 
			 England 1,348 4,827 
			    
			 Dyfed-Powys 6 35 
			 Gwent 14 49 
			 North Wales 12 55 
			 South Wales 40 154 
			 Wales 72 293 
			    
			 England and Wales 1,420 5,120 
			 (1) The figures given in this table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Offences used: Criminal Justice Act 1988 s. 139 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 s.3—Having an article with blade or point in public place. Criminal Justice Act 1988 s. 139A (1) and (5)(a) added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 s.4 (1)—Having an article with blade or point on school premises. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice.

Lockerbie: Bombings

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with his (a) Scottish and (b) Libyan counterpart regarding the status of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi;
	(2)  how many (a) letters and (b) e-mails his Department has received on Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.

Kenneth Clarke: The release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds was a matter for Scottish Ministers. I have had no discussions with either my Scottish or Libyan counterparts regarding his status.
	My Department was recently a copy recipient of one letter regarding the status of Mr al-Megrahi. No e-mails have been received.

National Offender Management Service

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has any plans to establish a Head of the Probation Service within the National Offender Management Service.

Crispin Blunt: As probation trusts are independent, arm’s length bodies, operating under contract with the Secretary of State, a Head of Probation could not have the same functions as the Director of Probation performed under the earlier, centralised, arrangements.
	However, we recognise that probation trusts need a consistent point of reference and representation within the National Offender Management Service. The new structure which began to be implemented in April 2011 includes a Director of Probation and Contracted Services, who is responsible not only for holding trusts to account against their contracts, but also for ensuring they have the support they need to be effective public sector providers.

Prisoner Escapes

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisoners have escaped from custody in each month for the last five years; and how many such prisoners escaped while being transferred between prisons;
	(2)  how many escaped prisoners have been returned to custody in each month of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The number of escapes has been falling since 1995 when central records began. Table 1 shows the number of KPI(1) (key performance indicator) escapes, by month over the last five financial years from (a) prison establishment, (b) prison escort(2), and (c) contractor escort(3) (which includes escapes from court(4)). None of the escapes from escort occurred while transferring prisoners between prisons.
	(1) A KPI escape is one where a prisoner is at liberty for 15 minutes or more before recapture, or an offence is committed during an escape lasting less than 15 minutes.
	(2) A prison escort is an escort performed by prison staff, often to hospitals.
	(3) A contractor escort is one undertaken on behalf of the National Offender Management Service by a contractor to a court, originating from either a police station or a prison, or transferring prisoners between prisons.
	(4) Escapes from contractor escorts include escapes from court; the majority of contractor escapes are from insecure docks rather than escort vehicles.
	Table 2 shows the number of prisoners recaptured per month having escaped from establishment or prison escort. Historically recapture details of prisoners escaping from contractor escorts are not held centrally in an easily retrievable format and details could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Following the establishment of new escort contracts and procedures in August this year prisoners recaptured following an escort escape are now recorded in an easily retrievable format.
	
		
			 Table 1: KPI escapes, by month and escape type, from April 2006 to March 2011 
			  Prison establishment Prison escort Contractor escort 
			 June 2006 1 0 2 
			 July 2006 0 1 2 
			 August 2006 0 1 1 
			 September 2006 1 1 3 
			 October 2006 0 1 1 
			 November 2006 0 1 2 
			 December 2006 0 0 2 
			 January 2007 0 1 1 
			 February 2007 0 0 3 
			 March 2007 0 0 2 
			 April 2007 0 0 2 
			 May 2007 0 0 1 
			 June 2007 0 0 1 
			 August 2007 1 0 3 
			 September 2007 2 0 1 
			 October 2007 0 1 2 
			 November 2007 0 0 2 
			 December 2007 0 0 1 
			 January 2008 0 1 2 
			 March 2008 1 0 1 
			 April 2008 0 0 3 
			 May 2008 0 1 1 
			 June 2008 0 0 1 
			 October 2008 0 1 2 
			 November 2008 0 1 1 
			 December 2008 0 0 3 
			 January 2009 0 1 1 
			 February 2009 0 0 1 
		
	
	
		
			 March 2009 1 0 2 
			 April 2009 0 1 0 
			 May 2009 1 0 1 
			 July 2009 1 0 1 
			 September 2009 0 0 2 
			 October 2009 0 0 3 
			 November 2009 0 0 1 
			 December 2009 0 1 0 
			 January 2010 0 0 0 
			 February 2010 0 0 3 
			 March 2010 0 1 1 
			 May 2010 0 1 2 
			 June 2010 1 0 1 
			 July 2010 0 0 2 
			 August 2010 0 0 2 
			 December 2010 0 0 1 
			 January 2011 0 0 1 
			 March 2011 0 0 1 
			 Total 10 16 72 
			 Note: Months when there are zero escapes in all three categories are not shown. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of prisoners recaptured following KPI escape from (a) prison establishment or (b) prison escort (but not contractor escort), by month of recapture from April 2006 to March 2011 
			  Number of prisoners recaptured 
			 August 2006 3 
			 November 2006 2 
			 December 2006 1 
			 January 2007 1 
			 February 2007 1 
			 March 2007 1 
			 September 2007 1 
			 October 2007 2 
			 January 2008 2 
			 August 2008 1 
			 October 2008 1 
			 November 2008 1 
			 January 2009 3 
			 April 2009 1 
			 May 2009 1 
			 July 2009 1 
			 March 2010 1 
			 May 2010 1 
			 June 2010 1 
			 December 2010 1 
			 Total 27 
			 Notes: 1. The table provides details of month of recapture and will not necessarily correlate to the month of escape for incidents shown in table 1. 2. Recaptured prisoners are shown only for escapes from prison establishment or prison escort. Details of those prisoners recaptured following escapes from contractor escort could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. 3. Months when there are no recaptures are not shown.

Prisoners

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders given custodial sentences since 10 August 2011 are serving their sentences in prison establishments operated by the (a) public and (b) private sector.

Crispin Blunt: As at 30 September 2011 there were 10,191 sentenced prisoners with a centrally recorded sentence start date of 10 August 2011 or later. Of these, 8,615 were held in prison establishments operated by the public sector and 1,576 were in prisons operated by the private sector.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the transfer of UK prisoners to foreign prisons.

Crispin Blunt: The Council Framework Decision on the application of the principle of mutual recognition for judgments imposing custodial sentences or measures involving deprivation of liberty will enter into force from December 2011; once implemented, this measure will help expedite the transfer of prisoners within the European Union. My right hon. Friend Lord McNally recently discussed the transfer of prisoners with the then Albanian Justice Minister, and my officials regularly discuss prisoner transfers with their European counterparts.

Prisons

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisons he has visited on official business in the last 12 months.

Kenneth Clarke: In the last 12 months I have visited six prisons. These were:
	
		
			 Prison Date 
			 HMP High Down November 2010 
			 HMP Wormwood Scrubs December 2010 
			 HMP Wandsworth December 2010 
		
	
	
		
			 HMP Doncaster January 2011 
			 HMP Preston February 2011 
			 HMP Cardiff July 2011

Prisons: Employment

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many serving prisoners are working and earning a weekly wage of over (a) £100, (b) £150 and (c) £200.

Crispin Blunt: Setting rates of pay for work done in prison is delegated to the governor and information on this is not routinely collected centrally. Prison Service Order (PSO) 4460 on prisoners’ pay sets out the general parameters for local pay schemes including minimum rates of pay for various circumstances. The minimum employed rate is £4.00 per week. As well as work, prisoners are paid for participation in other constructive activity.
	A one-off survey of prisoner pay was conducted in 2007 and found that the average rate of pay for activity inside prisons was £9.60 per week.
	A small number of prisoners in open prisons are allowed to work outside the prison for resettlement purposes, subject to a risk assessment. A survey conducted in summer 2010 showed that there were 459 such prisoners. Rates of pay for prisoners working outside are a matter between the prisoner and the employer and are not routinely recorded by prisons.

Prisons: Uniform

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to ensure that prison officers are issued with (a) stab vests and (b) other personal protective equipment where necessary.

Crispin Blunt: Stab resistant vests and other personal protective equipment are available to prison staff in circumstances where there is a particular risk that requires such equipment to be worn. Attacks on staff in prisons with bladed weapons are relatively rare and there are no plans to routinely equip all prison officers working in prisons with items such as stab-proof vests.
	All prison officers are trained in control and restraint techniques and receive personal protection training. In addition, prison officers working in the adult male and young adult male closed prison estate are all equipped with batons for use as a defensive weapon.

Probation: Ex-servicemen

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many probation trusts have appointed a veterans link to ensure armed forces personnel are directed to relevant welfare agencies.

Crispin Blunt: It is the responsibility of each probation trust to make arrangements to address the needs of offenders who have previously served in the armed forces. To date, 18 of the 35 probation trusts have appointed a veterans link. The remaining trusts are alive to the needs of ex-service personnel and are looking at ways to address them.

Sexual Offences: Victim Support Schemes

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total value was of grants awarded by his Department through the Victims Fund to local sexual assault services in financial year (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

Crispin Blunt: In 2010-11, the Combined Victims Fund, jointly funded by the Ministry of Justice and the Government Equalities Office, provided grants totalling £2.25 million to 52 voluntary sector organisations providing support for victims of sexual violence and abuse.
	In 2011-12, we have committed £5.099 million in total to supporting victims of sexual violence through two funds:
	The Rape Support Fund is providing £2.8 million to 65 existing rape support centres across England and Wales and £600,000 to develop four new rape support centres in Hereford, Trafford, Devon and Dorset.
	The Victim and Witness General Fund is providing £1.699 million in grant funding this year to 34 voluntary sector organisations supporting victims of sexual violence in England and Wales.

TREASURY

Corporation Tax: Transport

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was received in corporation tax from the transport sector in each year since 2001.

David Gauke: The following table shows the liability for the transport sector for each financial year from 2000-01 to 2009-10. More recent data are not available.
	
		
			 Transport sector (1)  corporation tax liabilities, United Kingdom, financial years 
			 Financial year (2) Corporation tax liability (£ million) (3) 
			 2000-01 623 
			 2001-02 676 
			 2002-03 717 
			 2003-04 779 
			 2004-05 837 
			 2005-06 819 
			 2006-07 835 
			 2007-08 793 
			 2008-09 748 
			 2009-10 627 
			 (1) Summary Trade Classification categories Road Haulage, Sea Transport, and Other Transport and Storage. (2) Comprises accounting periods ending within each financial year. (3) Liability figures, especially for 2009-10, are subject to revision—for example as additional returns are received. Further information is available in the National Statistics publication on corporation tax available at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/ct-menu.htm

Departmental Assets

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assets with a value of £250,000 or more his Department has bought since May 2010; for what purpose; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The Treasury has not purchased any assets with a value of £250,000 or more since May 2010. The Department has assets under construction which will fall into this category once they have been capitalised. Those assets will be included in the Department’s 2011-12 annual report and accounts, as appropriate.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he receives any external funding for (a) his ministerial office and (b) his advisers; and what the (i) source and (ii) amount is of any such funding.

Chloe Smith: No external funding is received for either the office or advisers of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne).

European Union

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many members of staff of his Department are working on the Government’s examination of the balance of existing EU competences.

Mark Hoban: The examination of these issues draws on existing resources.
	Members of Her Majesty’s Treasury staff contribute to a wide range of European issues as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Excise Duties: Rural Areas

Mark Menzies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to ensure that fuel duty and vehicle excise duty do not disproportionally affect the rural population.

Chloe Smith: In a £1.9 billion package of support for motorists at Budget 2011 the Government applied to the European Commission for a rural fuel duty rebate pilot scheme, cut fuel duty, deferred the planned 2011-12 increase to January 2012, abolished the fuel duty escalator and replaced it with a fair fuel stabiliser, froze Vehicle Excise Duty for heavy goods vehicles in 2011-12 and limited the duty increase for all other motorists to inflation only.

G8: Borrowing

David Blunkett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information his Department holds on the proportion of gross domestic product required to cover the necessary contribution of Government borrowing in each G8 country.

Chloe Smith: The International Monetary Fund publishes information on the General Government Balance for a range of countries including the G8 countries in its Fiscal Monitor publication. The latest Fiscal Monitor, which was published in September 2011, can be found here:
	http://www.imf.org/external/ubs/ft/fm/2011/02/pdf/fm1102.pdf

Inflation

Chris Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effects on consumer confidence of the recent rise in inflation.

Chloe Smith: Consumer Prices Inflation was 5% in October, reflecting increases in energy and commodity prices. The Bank of England and external forecasters expect inflation to decline over the next 12 months. Lower inflation should support consumer confidence going forward.

Infrastructure: Costs

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of providing additional public infrastructure at existing standards to accommodate a rise in the number of UK residents of 10 million by 2033.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 14 November 2011
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Ealing Central and Acton (Angie Bray) on 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 184W.

Money Advice Service

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to ensure that the Money Advice Service fulfils a strategic oversight role for additional financial education; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: holding answer 15 November 2011
	As an independent body with a statutory function set out in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, it is for the Money Advice Service to determine how it delivers this function.
	The service is undertaking a two-part research project. First to consolidate its understanding of existing evidence on the impact of educational practice within financial education, and similar interventions that seek to influence behaviour; and, second, to map the wide range of initiatives that are currently funded by the financial services industry. It expects to have completed this landscaping work by the end of June 2012. The service will then, on the basis of these findings, determine how best it may fulfil its overview role in this area.

NHS Trusts: Redundancy Pay

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which (a) foundation and (b) non-foundation NHS trusts have had approval from his Department for employee pay-offs in each of the last five years; which such NHS trusts had the (i) largest such payment and (ii) largest number of such pay-offs in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Treasury's role is to ensure that individual special severance payments are fully justified in terms of value for money and legal risk.

Public Sector: Pensions

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of public sector workers (a) of each gender and (b) in each age group will receive an increased pension as a result of moving to a career average from a final salary pension scheme;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of public sector workers (a) of each gender and (b) in each age group will receive an increased pension as a result of the offer on public sector pensions made by the Government on 2 November 2011.

Danny Alexander: The Command Paper “Public Service Pensions: good pensions that last” set out the Government’s preferred scheme design for public service pensions. The next step is for trade unions to discuss this with the schemes and put forward any detailed alternatives which fall within the cost ceilings. The impact of the reforms on individual groups will depend on the final scheme designs agreed between the Government and trade unions.
	As agreed with the trade unions, the Government will ensure that there is a full equality impact assessment before changes to public service pensions are implemented.

Public Sector: Pensions

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the effect on public spending on public sector pensions (a) in cash terms and (b) as a share of gross domestic product of implementing in full the preferred design for new pensions schemes in each of the next 10 years;
	(2)  with reference to Public Service Pensions: good pensions that last, what estimate he has made of the effect of implementing in full the preferred design for new pension schemes on savings to the Exchequer in each of the next 10 years.

Danny Alexander: The written answer I gave on 14 November 2011, Official Report, columns 643-44W, set out the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2011 forecast expenditure on public service pensions, and expected savings from the switch to CPI uprating and increasing employee pension contributions.
	Changes proposed in the Command Paper “Public Service Pensions: good pensions that last” will only affect expenditure on public service pensions in the medium and long term. The paper set out the Government’s objective that those public service workers who, as of 1 April 2012, have 10 years or less to their current pension age, will see no change in when they can retire, nor any decrease in the amount of pension they receive at their current normal pension age. Schemes and unions will discuss the fairest way of achieving this objective, within the Government’s parameter that costs to the taxpayer in each and every year do not exceed the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts for public service pensions.

Public Sector: Pensions

David Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which trade union leaders were described by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on the BBC Andrew Marr programme on 6 November 2011 as being strongly in favour of strike action over planned changes to public sector pensions; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: Most of the unions want to reach an agreement and discussions with interested parties regarding public service pension reform are ongoing.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

David Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the merits of the use of the Consumer Prices Index including housing costs as the measure of indexation for the annual uprating of (a) benefits, (b) tax credits, (c) the second state pension and (d) public sector pensions; and if he will make a statement.

Danny Alexander: The Office for National Statistics is currently developing a measure of CPI including housing costs with a view to publishing this in early 2013. HM Treasury is therefore unable to comment on the merits of using any such measure at this point in time.

State Ownership

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the names are of all (a) state-owned enterprises and (b) companies in which there are state-owned shares.

Danny Alexander: There are currently 382 bodies which meet the classification of public corporations. A full list is published monthly on the website of the Office for National Statistics, and the most recent version can be found at the following link:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/na-classification/national-accounts-sector-classification/classification-update---october-2011/public-sector-classification-guide---october-2011.xls
	The principal Government shareholdings are those managed by the Shareholder Executive and UK Financial Investments Ltd. Relevant details can be found on their websites:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/shareholderexecutive/structure/portfolio-unit
	and
	http://www.ukfi.co.uk/about-us/market-investments/

Students: Loans

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on the level of public sector debt of the requirement for student loans to meet higher tuition fees in each of the next 10 years.

Danny Alexander: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published its assessment in November 2010 of the effect on the Government's net cash requirement of all student loans out to 2015-16 and the contribution within that from the higher tuition fee policy.
	The following table reproduces the figures in the OBR's November 2010 Economic and Fiscal Outlook report.
	
		
			 Impact of student loans on central Government net cash requirement 
			 £ billion 
			  All student loans (cost of net outlay) Effect of new policies 
			 2010-11 4.1 0.0 
			 2011-12 4.3 0.0 
			 2012-13 5.4 0.7 
			 2013-14 7.3 2.5 
			 2014-15 9.3 4.3 
			 2015-16 10.7 5.6 
		
	
	In its July 2011 Fiscal Sustainability Report, the OBR published long-term projections of the impact of student finance arrangements on public sector net debt. However, these did not separate out the effect of the new fees regime from 2012-13 and were based on stylised loan assumptions beyond 2013-14. Their analysis demonstrated that the increase in debt would peak in the 2030s and then decline as loan repayments rise relative to the value of new loans.
	Decisions are taken each year on the level of the tuition fee cap, tuition loans and maintenance loans for the next academic year. It is therefore not possible to conclude what the overall impact of student loans on public debt will be in each of the next ten years.

Tax Allowances: Manufacturing Industries

Mark Menzies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has considered introducing as part of his strategy for growth a 100% capital write-down allowance on new plant and equipment for the manufacturing sector.

David Gauke: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), keeps all tax measures under review. Any proposals for new tax incentives would need to be considered in the context of the current fiscal position.

Taxation: Energy

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was received in taxation receipts from energy suppliers in each year since 1986.

David Gauke: Energy suppliers pay tax to HM Revenue and Customs under Climate Change Levy, Corporation Tax, Pay-As-You-Earn and National Insurance Contributions, Stamp Duty Land Tax, Stamp Taxes on shares and Value Added Tax. They also pay national non-domestic rates to local authorities.
	Climate Change Levy is paid by energy suppliers. Annual receipts from Climate Change Levy since June 2001 are published on a monthly basis in table 2 of the Climate Change Levy Statistical Bulletin, which is available on the HM Revenue and Customs website:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bullclimate
	Annual receipts for 2006-07 to 2008-09 for Home VAT for the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2007 category, “Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply” are published in table 2.3 of the HMRC VAT factsheet (October 2009). This category is broader than just ‘energy suppliers' and the figures will also cover other activities carried out by these traders, not just their supply of electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning. The figures will also not capture activity by traders for whom energy supply is not their main business and who are classified under other SIC categories. The factsheet is available from the HMRC website at:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=factvat
	Home VAT refers to VAT charged on the supply of goods (and services) made by a VAT registered business in the UK. Estimates for calendar years 2004 and 2005 are available on a similar but older SIC code covering “Electricity, Gas, Steam and Hot Water Supply.”
	Total receipts for PAYE income tax and class 1 National Insurance contributions for the SIC 2003 category “Electricity, Gas and Water Supply” are shown in the following table. This category is broader than just ‘energy suppliers' and the figures will relate to all economic activity of PAYE schemes within the sector, not just that related to supply of gas, electricity and water. In addition these figures will not include energy supplied by schemes whose main business is captured elsewhere within the SIC. The table shows total PAYE receipts for the Electricity, Gas and Water Supply sector. Figures are not available for years before 1999-2000.
	
		
			 Total receipts for PAYE income tax and class 1 National Insurance contributions in respect of employee and employer liabilities combined, for the electricity, gas and water supply sector (1999-2000 to 2010-11, years from May to April) 
			 Sector £ billion 
			 Electricity, Gas and Water Supply  
			 1999-2000 1.2 
			 2000-01 1.2 
			 2001-02 1.1 
			 2002-03 1.1 
			 2003-04 1.1 
			 2004-05 1.1 
			 2005-06 1.1 
			 2006-07 1.3 
			 2007-08 1.4 
			 2008-09 1.5 
			 2009-10 1.5 
			 2010-11 1.6 
			 Note: PAYE IT and NICs class 1 figures are slightly incomplete in that some late payments are omitted. These late payments represent about 1% of the total, and do so fairly consistently from year to year, so comparisons between years are not significantly affected. 
		
	
	The following table on corporation tax liabilities shows the liabilities of companies within HMRC's Summary Trade Classification category “Production and Distribution of Electricity, Town Gas and Other Forms of Energy” for accounting periods ending in the financial years 1994-95 to 2009-10. Figures are not available for earlier years. As with PAYE and VAT, the figures presented will cover some economic activity by the companies included that is not connected with energy supply. In addition, some companies which supply energy as a minor part of their overall activity will be classified in other industry categories.
	
		
			 Energy Suppliers sector (1)  corporation tax liabilities, United Kingdom, financial years 
			 Financial year (2) Corporation tax liability (3)  (£ million) 
			 1994-95 585 
			 1995-96 570 
			 1996-97 535 
		
	
	
		
			 1997-98 316 
			 1998-99 333 
			 1999-2000 428 
			 2000-01 355 
			 2001-02 396 
			 2002-03 290 
			 2003-04 318 
			 2004-05 576 
			 2005-06 680 
			 2006-07 847 
			 2007-08 922 
			 2008-09 743 
			 2009-10 1060 
			 (1) Summary Trade Classification category Production and Distribution of Electricity, Town Gas and Other Forms of Energy. (2) Comprises accounting periods ending within each financial year. (3) Liability figures, especially for 2009-10, are subject to revision—for example as additional returns are received. Further information is available in the National Statistics publication on corporation tax available at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/menu.htm 
		
	
	Information on receipts paid by energy suppliers is not separately available for Stamp Duty Land Tax, Stamp Taxes on shares and national non-domestic rates.

Taxation: Gambling

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 6 September 2010, Official Report, column 204W, on taxation: gambling, what recent assessment he has made of the rate of gross profits tax levied on (a) bingo clubs and (b) bookmakers; and for what reasons there is a difference between the two.

Chloe Smith: The rates of general betting duty and bingo duty were set by the previous Government. Bingo duty is charged at 20% of gross profits and general betting duty is charged at 15% of gross profits. The March 2011 Budget left rates unchanged. All taxes, including gambling taxes, are kept under review.

Taxation: Land

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the merits of introducing a tax on the land value uplift created by the granting of planning permission on greenfield sites.

Danny Alexander: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), keeps all taxes under review at the Budget.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Aerials: Mobile Phones

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether (a) she or (b) officials in her Department have discussed with HM Treasury using a proportion of the recently announced £150 million funding for infrastructure projects to improve mobile phone coverage.

Richard Benyon: In the course of discussions in the context of the growth review, I and my ministerial colleagues and officials have discussed with HM Treasury the funding of £150 million for improvements in mobile coverage, which was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), on 3 October 2011. We will be continuing to work with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Ofcom and HM Treasury to optimise the rural benefits of this funding.

Agricultural Wages Board

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effects of the abolition of the (a) Agricultural Wages Board and (b) agricultural minimum wage on the pay levels of farm workers in Wales who are within the remit of the Agricultural Wages Board;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the effects of the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board on the rural economy in Wales;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the effects of the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board on the ease of recruitment of trained and skilled personnel to the farming industry in Wales;
	(4)  what assessment she has made of the effects of the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board on pay levels for children under 16 who work on farms in Wales.

James Paice: On the assumption that the Public Bodies Bill is given Royal Assent, DEFRA will carry out a public consultation on the future of the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales. We intend to publish a full impact assessment and equality impact assessment on the effects of any abolition as part of the consultation exercise. DEFRA is currently discussing the position in Wales with the Welsh Government.

Agricultural Wages Board

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department undertook an impact assessment on the potential effects on wages of agricultural workers of the closure of the Agricultural Wages Board.

James Paice: On the assumption that the Public Bodies Bill receives Royal Assent, DEFRA will carry out a public consultation on the future of the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales, after that point. As part of that consultation we will publish an impact assessment and equality impact assessment on the effects of its proposed abolition.

Agricultural Wages Board

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the status is of the Agricultural Wages Board in Wales.

James Paice: The Agricultural Wages Board (AWB) is a statutory body established under the Agricultural Wages Act 1948. The remit of the board extends to England and Wales. Independent members of the board (including the chairman) are appointed by the Secretary of State and by Welsh Ministers. The AWB's functions include an obligation to set a minimum wage rate for agricultural workers in England and Wales.

Agriculture

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to support farming in the tenanted sector.

James Paice: The Government are committed to supporting farming in all sectors, including in the tenanted sector. Up to June 2011, a total of £237 million has been made available through the Rural Development Programme for England to improve the competitiveness of farm businesses and a further £425 million is being spent in 2011-12 on agri-environment schemes to support farmers to conserve and improve the natural environment. On 9 November I announced at the National Farmers Union Tenant Farmer Conference a new farming and forestry improvement scheme with up to £20 million available over the next two years to help fund small capital grants for business improvement.
	I also set up the Farming Regulation Task Force, chaired by Richard Macdonald which has made a number of recommendations on how regulatory burdens on the industry might be reduced, and these include particular recommendations in respect of farm tenancies. I recently published an interim response on the Task Force Report setting out progress so far and a full response will be published early next year.
	With specific regard to the tenanted farming sector, I have regular contact with members of the Tenancy Reform Industry Group, which provides advice to Ministers on tenancy related matters.

Agriculture: Young People

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to improve the image of the farming industry as a career option for young people.

James Paice: The Government are keen to promote the agriculture and food sectors as offering an exciting and successful career and to draw people towards the sector. DEFRA is working closely with the young farmers' organisations, the education sector and industry to raise awareness of rural issues, encourage young people to take up apprenticeships and other opportunities, and to further the development of skills and professionalism in the farming sector.

Air Pollution

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many zones and agglomerations exceeded (a) the exposure level of 20 micrograms/m3 of PM2.5 and (b) the limit value of 25 micrograms/m3 of PM2.5 set in the ambient air quality directive (2008/50/EC) in each year since 2008;
	(2)  from what date she estimates all zones and agglomerations will achieve (a) the exposure level of 20 micrograms/m3 of PM2.5 and (b) the limit value of 25 micrograms/m3 of PM2.5 set in the ambient air quality directive (2008/50/EC).

Richard Benyon: Targets for PM2.5 concentrations became a legal requirement for the first time with the adoption of the 2008 ambient air quality directive (2008/50/EC).
	Compliance with the exposure concentration obligation of 20 micrograms(3) is assessed at a member state level. Based on the current calculation method and data from 2009 and 2010, the average PM2.5 concentration across urban background locations is 12.8 micrograms(3). Earlier data are not available.
	The limit value of 25 micrograms(3) applies throughout zones and agglomerations and must be met by 2015. In 2008, 2009 and 2010 all UK zones and agglomerations were in compliance with the limit value.

Air Pollution

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if she will assess the merits of publishing a new national air quality strategy setting out the Government's plans for achieving NO2 and PM10 limit values and long-term policies for achieving the best possible air quality;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking to reduce NO2 pollution in the UK to ensure that the limit values in the Ambient Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC) will be achieved in all 40 of the zones that exceeded the limit values in 2010 no later than 1 January 2015; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Limit values for particulate matter are met across nearly all the UK apart from some small areas of London. The Government are working closely with the Mayor of London, the Greater London Authority and Transport for London to minimise the risk of further exceedences in London and expect to be compliant with limit values for particulate matter in 2011.
	DEFRA published its air quality plans for the achievement of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) limit values in September this year. These summarise the plans and measures in place or to be put in place to achieve limit values for this pollutant in the shortest time possible. They also set out the time scale by which we expect to achieve compliance with limit values in all those zones where we currently exceed this limit value.
	The Government continue to investigate available measures to hasten compliance with this limit value. We are keeping under review the need to revise or update our air quality strategy to achieve best possible results, taking into account economic circumstances and the availability of feasible measures.

Air Pollution: EU Law

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the Government's response to the European Commission's recent consultation on its review of EU air quality policy.

Richard Benyon: As part of its review of EU air quality policy, the European Commission launched informal questionnaires on 30 June 2011 seeking to collect views and experiences from all member states and stakeholders relating to the air quality directive (2008/50/EC) and the fourth daughter directive (2004/107/EC). We expect that most member states will have responded. DEFRA has submitted a response and this is available on the Department's website.

Air Pollution: Finance

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's budget is for the air quality grant scheme in 2011-12.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has an air capital grant fund of £2 million allocated under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003 for local projects to improve air quality. Details of the grants awarded this year are available on the “News” section of the DEFRA website in an article entitled “£2 million boost to tackle air pollution”.

Air Pollution: Finance

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many local authorities have applied for funding under the air quality grant programme since its inception; and what assessment she has made of the contribution successful applicants will make to meeting the UK's nitrogen dioxide targets under the Ambient Air Quality Directive.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA (or its predecessor Departments) has operated an air quality grant scheme since 1997. Figures for the number of local authorities that applied in each of the years since 2001 are given in the following table; only district-level authorities are allowed to apply for this funding. Earlier figures are not available.
	
		
			 Financial year Number of local authorities 
			 2000-01 88 
			 2001-02 82 
			 2002-03 78 
			 2003-04 92 
			 2004-05 78 
			 2005-06 69 
			 2006-07 102 
			 2007-08 126 
			 2008-09 135 
			 2009-10 133 
			 2010-11 139 
			 2011-12 120 
		
	
	Local authority air quality grant funding provides support to local authorities to carry out monitoring of local air quality, emissions modelling and air quality improvement measures. In recent years more of the available grant has been put to supporting air quality improvement measures, particularly on road transport pollution, including support for the delivery of communications projects, low emission zones, low emission strategies and other interventions. However, it is not possible to quantify the contribution this funding makes to meeting the UK's nitrogen dioxide targets under the ambient air quality directive.

Air Pollution: Finance

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the monetary value of benefits to public health for each pound spent on improving air quality.

Richard Benyon: A number of studies have been undertaken to assess the total costs and benefits of air quality controls. The most recent comprehensive assessment was the Evaluation of the Air Quality Strategy, a report presented to DEFRA in 2004.
	This evaluated a range of air quality policies covering both industrial and transport measures. It estimated the total cost of the measures at £4 to £6 billion and the benefits at £14 to £69 billion, yielding a benefit cost ratio of between 2.3:1 and 17.2:1. It is important to note that it is not currently possible to quantify all the public health or environmental benefits of improved air quality.

Air Pollution: Roads

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many kilometres of road exceeded the limit value for nitrogen dioxide in the ambient air quality directive when the most recent measurements were taken.

Richard Benyon: Assessment of the number of kilometres of UK roads exceeding the limit value for nitrogen dioxide is made by mathematical modelling. For the 2010 calendar year the modelled road length that was assessed as exceeding the annual mean limit value was 4,280 km.

Air Pollution: Schools

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many schools in England are located within 150 metres of a road that exceeds World Health Organisation air quality guidelines for (a) particulate matter and (b) nitrogen dioxide;
	(2)  how many schools in each London borough are located within 150 metres of a road that exceeds World Health Organisation air quality guidelines for (a) particulate matter and (b) nitrogen dioxide;
	(3)  how many schools in England are located within 150 metres of a road that exceeds the limit values for (a) PM10 and (b) nitrogen dioxide in the ambient air quality directive (2008/50/EC).

Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not hold information about the location of schools in England in relation to roadside exceedences of World Health Organisation air quality guidelines, or in relation to air quality limit values for nitrogen dioxide or particulate matter in the ambient air quality directive.

Bees

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made on implementation of the healthy bees plan.

James Paice: Since the Healthy Bees Plan was launched in April 2009, the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), on behalf of DEFRA and the Welsh Assembly Government, has been working in partnership with beekeeping stakeholders to deliver the plan's objectives to improve honey bee health. This work has included:
	improving and raising the profile of the National Bee Unit's BeeBase database as a key resource for beekeepers. Over 25,000 beekeepers are now registered compared with 17,000 in 2008;
	supporting education and training of beekeepers to improve their husbandry skills. As part of this work, FERA has co-funded an education initiative with the British Beekeepers' Association and the National Diploma in Beekeeping;
	the development of an action plan by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate to increase the availability of authorised medicines for honey bees and to ensure their correct use; and
	improving our understanding of the health status of honey bees through the Random Apiary Survey undertaken by the National Bee Unit.
	Further details of the implementation of the Healthy Bees Plan are available on the National Bee Unit's BeeBase website.

Bell Pottinger Group

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) political advisers in her Department have met representatives of (i) Bell Pottinger Group or (ii) each of its subsidiaries in the last five years; on what dates any such meetings took place; and what was discussed.

Richard Benyon: Details of Cabinet Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and can be accessed on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/who/ministers/transparency/
	Since May 2010 no DEFRA Minister, senior departmental official or special adviser has met with associates of the Bell Pottinger Group or any of its subsidiaries. Further detailed information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Climate Change: Carbon Emissions

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect black carbon has on climate change; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change, my hon. Friend the Member for Bexhill and Battle (Gregory Barker), on 10 November 2011, Official Report, column 406W.

Crayfish

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the damage caused by North American signal crayfish; and what steps her Department is taking to control such crayfish.

Richard Benyon: Research shows that signal crayfish have an impact on both the physical nature of aquatic habitats through burrowing (causing siltation and erosion) and on a range of fauna and flora. The most noted impact is on the native white-clawed crayfish, but effects on other invertebrates and fish species have also been recorded. A preliminary assessment of ecosystem health under the water framework directive indicates that 51 riverine water bodies in England (out of 5,818 in England and Wales) are likely to fail to achieve ‘good ecological status' because of signal crayfish.
	Currently there are no effective methods available for reducing the scale of the signal crayfish population in England, and DEFRA has commissioned research to develop such techniques. Until effective management tools become available, efforts are mainly focused on limiting the spread of the species to new habitats and on the conservation of native species, such as by the establishment of refuge sites for white clawed crayfish.
	DEFRA is also working with the Scottish and Welsh Governments to develop a strategy throughout Great Britain for managing non-native crayfish and their impacts.

Dangerous Dogs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received on the effectiveness of policing of dangerous dogs.

James Paice: DEFRA has received a considerable amount of correspondence on dangerous dogs, some of which relates to the enforcement of the legislation.

Consultants

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what procedures her Department uses when engaging external consultants.

Richard Benyon: The core Department, in line with Government spending controls, ensures that all requirements for potential consultancy contracts are approved at the appropriate level prior to procurement commencing.
	The approvals process applies to all expenditure relating to consultancy, both new contracts and extensions or variations to existing contracts. The procedures are as follows:
	Approval to proceed before any procurement starts must be obtained for all business critical needs for consultancy services. The business case is completed and authorised by the business area director and sent to the procurement and contracts function.
	Expenditure under £20,000: approval will be required from DEFRA’s head of procurement.
	Expenditure of £20,000 and over for a period of up to nine months: approvals will be required from the DEFRA head of procurement, DEFRA commercial director and the permanent secretary.
	Expenditure of £20,000 and over for a period exceeding nine months: approvals will be required from the DEFRA head of procurement, DEFRA HR director, DEFRA finance director, DEFRA commercial director, permanent secretary, the nominated departmental Minister and the Cabinet Office/Efficiency and Reform Group (ERG).
	Once the relevant approval has been received, engagement of external consultants follows the departmental procurement procedures which are in line with Government and European Union procurement regulations.

Press: Subscriptions

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade profession magazines in 2010-11.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA spent £327,975.64 on newspapers, periodicals and trade profession magazines in 2010-11.

Capabilities Programme

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the budget was for the (a) infectious diseases: animal and plant, (b) flooding and (c) food and water work stream of the Capabilities programme in each year since 2005; and what the budget will be during the comprehensive spending review period.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has four work streams under the Capabilities programme: Animal Disease; Flooding; Food Supply; and Water Supply. Plant Disease is not a work stream within this programme. Budgetary spend since 2005 is:
	
		
			 £ 
			 Financial year Animal Disease Flooding Food Water 
			 2005/06 (1)— (2)— 67,500 105,000 
			 2006/07 (1)— (2)— 69,000 110,000 
			 2007/08 5,360,000 (2)— 71,000 115,000 
			 2008/09 6,263,000 142,269 73,000 120,000 
			 2009/10 3,366,800 157,800 75,000 120,000 
			 2010/11 4,499,000 2,445,281 75,000 100,000 
			 (1 )Data not readily available (2) No spend until 2008-09 
		
	
	These figures do not include expenditure by the Environment Agency or local authorities on the delivery of flood defences or expenditure made directly by the water industry on resilience and security measures; both of which support the objectives of the Capabilities programme.
	DEFRA has not yet finalised provision for the work streams for future financial years.

Ministerial Meetings

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the departmental diary of each Minister in her Department since May 2010.

Richard Benyon: As has been the practice of previous Administrations, information relating to Ministers’ diaries is not normally disclosed. Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and are available on our website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/who/ministers/transparency/

Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day by her Department were answered (a) on time, (b) five days late, (c) 10 days late, (d) 20 days late and (e) over 30 days late in each month since May 2010;
	(2)  how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by her Department have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010.

Richard Benyon: Statistics on parliamentary questions (PQs) for written answer on a named day can be found in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of named day PQs received On time 1-5 days late 6-10 days late 11-20 days late 21-30 days l ate Over 30 days late 
			 2010        
			 May 10 5 4 0 1 0 0 
			 June 42 32 10 0 0 0 0 
			 July 67 50 15 2 0 0 0 
			 August 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 September 23 20 3 0 0 0 0 
			 October 46 35 11 0 0 0 0 
			 November 60 34 21 2 3 0 0 
			 December 38 16 20 2 0 0 0 
			         
			 2011        
			 January 49 30 13 1 0 2 3 
			 February 92 28 33 15 14 2 0 
			 March 76 36 28 1 11 0 0 
			 April 27 15 11 1 0 0 0 
			 May 38 20 12 1 4 1 0 
			 June 40 17 20 1 1 0 1 
			 July 41 11 22 4 2 0 2 
			 August 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 
			 September 29 13 13 1 0 2 0 
			 October 14 1 9 4 0 0 0 
		
	
	No named day parliamentary questions have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010; 13 ordinary written questions have remained unanswered for that period.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Droughts

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has made an assessment of trends in the incidence of drought in (a) England and (b) the west midlands.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency has assessed trends in the incidence of drought across England and Wales. Droughts are complex events, varying in severity, spatial extent and their impacts on society and the environment.
	Analysis of historical events shows a varied range of rainfall and associated river flow droughts over the last century. The drought of 1975-76 remains the most notable extreme event within that record, and although there have been significant droughts since, with many clustered in the last 20 years, there is no clear trend in the incidence of drought either for England overall or the west midlands.
	The historical record provides a testing range of conditions for which both the Environment Agency and water companies plan.

Environment Protection

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding will be provided to support the Green Infrastructure Partnership.

Richard Benyon: The Green Infrastructure Partnership will be supported by existing DEFRA policy and research resources. DEFRA is working with civil society and professional bodies to promote the evidence of the benefits of green infrastructure, and also to provide some of the evidence, advice and valuation tools that local areas need to effectively plan for and deliver it.

Environment Protection: British Overseas Territories

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what progress has been made on the implementation of the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy; what further steps she plans to take to implement the strategy; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how much of her Department's budget for biodiversity conservation was spent in British Overseas Territories in 2010-11;
	(3)  how much of her Department's budget for biodiversity conservation will be spent in British Overseas Territories in each year up to 2014-15;
	(4)  whether the Government's target on biodiversity will apply to British Overseas Territories; and if she will make a statement;
	(5)  whether her submission to the Prime Minister on her Department's priorities for providing support to British Overseas Territories will include measures to protect and restore biodiversity;
	(6)  how many staff in her Department were working full-time on UK Overseas Territories biodiversity policy in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: Following agreement of the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy in 2009, DEFRA has taken the lead in coordinating a partnership of Government Departments overseeing its implementation. This partnership comprises DEFRA, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DFID), and is supported by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). As part of this partnership, DEFRA established the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Group (OTBG), comprising officials from DEFRA, the FCO, DFID, JNCC and the UK Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA). Chaired by DEFRA, the OTBG is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the strategy.
	In terms of delivering the objectives set out in the strategy, formal contact points on biodiversity matters have been established in the territories and, in addition to securing more inclusive UK reporting to multilateral environmental agreements, DEFRA hosted a workshop in September 2011 to improve communication and knowledge of the obligations related to the membership of such agreements. I can report that, by June 2011, 38 discrete projects and/or activities in 10 Overseas Territories have been funded that address four of the strategic priorities of the strategy.
	Looking ahead, DEFRA will continue to liaise closely with other Government Departments, inter alia through the OTBG, as well as directly with Overseas Territories and with the UKOTA, to offer such advice and assistance as is within our purview and is appropriate.
	Funding amounting to over £1.2 million was spent on biodiversity in Overseas Territories in 2010-11. This comprised a contribution of £200,000, announced by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), at last year's Nagoya Biodiversity Conference, towards rodent eradication on the World Heritage site of Henderson Island in the Pitcairn group of islands, which hosts many endangered species of birds, including the Henderson petrel. It also comprised a figure of just over £1 million from DEFRA's Darwin Initiative for the period 2010-11 towards projects in the Overseas Territories. We are continuing to welcome project proposals for Darwin funding from the territories. Since the Darwin Initiative is now being co-funded by DEFRA and DFID, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs also announced at the Nagoya Biodiversity Conference that funding under Darwin would in fact increase over the spending review period. In addition to this £1.2 million, the JNCC also contributed £150,000 during 2010-11, and a further £10,000 was committed by DEFRA on research and development projects within the Overseas Territories. In view of the current financial climate it is not possible to predict how much will be spent on biodiversity conservation measures in Overseas Territories in future.
	As the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs reported previously to Parliament, a new global biodiversity target for 2020 was agreed at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya in October 2010. The Aichi Targets apply to those Overseas Territories to which the Convention on Biological Diversity has been extended.
	DEFRA's submission to the Prime Minister on our current and future priorities for providing support to the Overseas Territories will include measures relating to biodiversity.
	Finally, turning to the level of staff resource within DEFRA which is committed to working on issues associated with the Overseas Territories over the last five years, it is impossible to be precise. While there is no dedicated service towards supporting work in the Overseas Territories, there are a number of officials who regularly provide advice to the Overseas Territories on a range of issues on which DEFRA leads.

Environment Protection: British Overseas Territories

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government's Overseas Territories White Paper will include a target to halt loss of biodiversity in the overseas territories.

Henry Bellingham: I have been asked to reply.
	The White Paper on the Overseas Territories will be published in 2012. It is too early to comment on what will be included.

European Union

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many members of staff of her Department are working on the Government's examination of the balance of existing EU competences.

Richard Benyon: The examination of these issues draws on existing resources.

European Union

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many ministerial-level meetings have been held in her Department as part of the Government's examination of the balance of existing EU competences.

Richard Benyon: The Department routinely hosts ministerial meetings on issues covered in the coalition agreement.

Fish Farming

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the sustainability of fish farms.

Richard Benyon: The Department's policy decisions on fish farms are guided by our Business Plan commitments which include encouraging sustainable food production. There is legislation in place on a number of relevant issues, including fish welfare, environmental protection and consumer safety which are continually assessed. All fish farms must be authorised by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, a DEFRA agency, and the conditions include aspects of sustainability.
	In addition to this, DEFRA is currently working with the aquaculture industry, looking at ways in which it can develop in England. Assessing the sustainability of fish farms will be a key aspect of this work.

Flood and Coastal Resilience Partnership Funding

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how funding through the new Flood and Coastal Resilience Partnership Funding arrangement will be focused on those communities at greatest risk.

Richard Benyon: The new partnership funding arrangements for flood and coastal erosion risk management will offer funding towards schemes in direct relation to the flood risk benefits being delivered, and this will be greater in areas where risks are more significant.
	Those most at risk and living in the most deprived parts of the country will continue to be the focus for Government support.

Flood Control

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of her proposed changes to flood defences on the ability of property and landowners to maintain adequate insurance cover in respect of flooding.

Richard Benyon: The new arrangements for partnership funding of flood defences are designed to target funding towards those most at risk and in more deprived communities. Partnership funding enables cost savings and local contributions that will mean more communities can enjoy the benefits that flood defences bring. As such the new arrangements should contribute to ensuring that flood insurance continues to be as widely available as possible.

Floods: Insurance

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what meetings she has had with representatives of the insurance industry to discuss replacement of the Statement of Principles on the provision of flood insurance; and if she will publish the minutes of those meetings;
	(2)  what will replace the Statement of Principles on the provision of flood insurance after it expires in 2013.

Richard Benyon: In the light of the second flood insurance summit held with stakeholders in July, both Government and insurers are working closely together to ensure that flood insurance continues to be widely available.
	The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), recently met the Association of British Insurers to discuss arrangements after the current Statement of Principles agreement comes to an end in July 2013, and plans to issue a progress update shortly.

Food: Waste

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has any plans to review current legislation to enable water companies to accept food waste from external sources to allow for an increase in the levels of energy production from anaerobic digestion plants.

Richard Benyon: Water companies can already accept food waste from external sources.
	In June, the Government published their Anaerobic Digestion Strategy and Action Plan, which sets out what needs to be done to bring about an increase in energy from waste through anaerobic digestion. As part of the Action Plan, DEFRA will work with the Environment Agency to clarify the regulatory position on co-digestion of waste with sewage sludge at sewage treatment works.
	DEFRA will also discuss with Ofwat the recommendations of the Office of Fair Trading's market study that looked at competition in the treatment of organic waste and, in particular, the sewage sludge treatment sector.

Inland Waterways: Dredging

David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the length of waterways managed by British Waterways that require dredging; and what the cost would be of carrying out such dredging;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the length of British Waterways' canals and rivers to be dredged in 2011-12.

Richard Benyon: Dredging is an operational matter for British Waterways (BW) and it applies risk based prioritisation to its maintenance expenditure. The Government require BW to operate and maintain waterways to standards that reflect use and prospects of use.
	BW undertakes regular waterway channel depth surveys to identify which stretches of its canals fail to meet the minimum depth to enable reasonable navigation in a location. Around 287 kms of the 3,000 km network currently do not meet the criteria and consequently require dredging. The cost of undertaking this dredging would be around £40 million.
	BW plans to dredge, at a cost of £4.2 million, 45 km of canals and rivers in 2011-12, and in addition will spend £1.2 million on various high priority locations that have been identified as creating particular boating constraints.

Land Drainage: Urban Areas

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to issue her consultation on sustainable urban drainage systems and surface water systems at the same time as her foul sewer consultation.

Richard Benyon: The consultations have separate timetables. However, we plan to align our stakeholder communications on both issues and also consultation workshops on key aspects of the policies.

Marine Conservation Zones

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what timetable she has set for the classification of marine protected areas in England.

Richard Benyon: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made on 15 November 2011, Official Report, column 35WS.

Marine Conservation Zones

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the application of the precautionary principle to the designation of marine conservation zones.

Richard Benyon: No decisions have yet been taken on the designation of marine conservation zones (MCZs) recommended by the regional projects. It is important that we have an adequate evidence base if we are to create successful well-managed MCZs. Nonetheless, I do not rule out taking precautionary action where this would be appropriate.

Marine Conservation Zones

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will issue a public consultation on the marine conservation zones proposed by the regional stakeholder projects.

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will hold a public consultation on all prospective marine conservation zones sites recommended by regional stakeholder-led projects.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA will hold a three-month public consultation on marine conservation zones (MCZ) by the end of 2012. This consultation will include all sites recommended by the regional MCZ projects, with clarity on how and when work on them will be taken forward. It is envisaged that the first MCZ designations will take place in 2013.

Marine Conservation Zones

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will consider designating additional marine conservation zones to help protect (a) basking sharks, (b) dolphins and (c) other mobile species.

Richard Benyon: The Government's view is that spatial protection mechanisms are not always, in isolation, the most effective way of protecting highly mobile species. However, protecting some habitats important to mobile species can aid their conservation as part of wider, more bespoke protection measures that can be applied across all or parts of their range, and where appropriate marine conservation zones (MCZs) could be used to protect these habitats.
	DEFRA is in the process of commissioning an independent review of the current science on the merits of protecting mobile species through MCZs, and an assessment of the extent to which the regional project recommendations support the protection of mobile species and birds. Where evidence shows that a mobile species could be effectively protected by an marine protected area (MPA), and that there is a gap in the MPA network (looking at the network as a whole and considering special protection areas, special areas of conservation and MCZ contributions), this may be signalled in the public consultation documentation and suggestions for filling the gap considered by DEFRA, Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
	In addition, DEFRA will continue to develop bespoke management measures for the protection of vulnerable mobile species, such as acoustic deterrents to reduce dolphin bycatch and fisheries protection for endangered sharks.

Motor Vehicles: Sales

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to prevent commercial vehicle traders from posing as private individuals to sell vehicles on public highways.

Richard Benyon: It is an offence under section 3 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 to offer for sale two or more vehicles, as part of a business, within 500 metres of each other on a road or roads.
	This is enforced by local authorities, which can issue a fixed penalty notice of £100 to offenders, or take action through the courts. Section 5 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act introduces personal liability for directors and officers of a company for these offences.

Natural Capital Committee

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when she expects to establish the Natural Capital Committee;
	(2)  whether the Natural Capital Committee will be required to report to Parliament annually on the condition of natural capital in the UK.

Richard Benyon: The Government announced in the Natural Environment White Paper that they will establish an independent Natural Capital Committee, reporting to the Economic Affairs Cabinet Committee which is chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne). The Committee will advise the Government on the state of English natural capital. As set out in the White Paper, the Committee will: provide advice on when, where and how natural assets are being used unsustainably; advise the Government on how they could prioritise action to protect and improve natural capital, so that public and private activity is focused where it will have greatest impact on improving wellbeing in our society; and, advise the Government on research priorities to improve future advice and decisions on protecting and enhancing natural capital. The Committee will be set up initially for the duration of this Parliament; the work of the Committee will be available to Parliament and will be set out in a series of reports. I will shortly be recruiting the chair and members of the Committee and I have issued a written ministerial statement on the process of establishing the Committee this week.

Photography

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent on photography by her Department since May 2010.

Richard Benyon: The Department does not hold a central record which would identify how much has been spent on photography alone and cannot therefore provide an accurate figure without incurring disproportionate costs.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with those responsible for implementing the welfare of laying hens directive in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland on likely levels of non-compliance with the directive from 1 January 2012; what data her Department holds on likely levels of non-compliance; and if she will publish such data.

James Paice: The Government are in frequent contact with all the devolved Administrations regarding the implementation of the directive and the need to protect producers across the UK who have invested in new systems. Inspectors from the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), the agency responsible for enforcing the conventional cage ban in Great Britain, are visiting all known cage producers in England, Scotland and Wales. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development officials in Northern Ireland are also contacting and visiting producers to determine levels of compliance. Officials are reminding producers of the need to comply with the conventional cage ban when it comes into force at the end of the year and at the same time finding out producers' intentions, as to whether they will cease production or convert to alternative systems.
	In addition, DEFRA commissioned ADAS to prepare the last in a series of reports to provide an update of the progress that the UK egg industry has made towards achieving full compliance with the legislation as at 1 September 2011 and any likely barriers in the way. This has now been completed.
	The Government will be taking a tough enforcement approach on any UK producer who has not complied by the deadline.

Ragwort

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the potential benefits of ragwort to invertebrate biodiversity.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA recognises that where there is no threat to animal welfare, common ragwort provides many benefits to biodiversity; in particular, it supports a variety of invertebrates, such as moth caterpillars, including the Cinnabar moth, as well as thrips, plant bugs, flies, beetles and mites.

Recycling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the possible benefits of slurry recycling.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA is funding research which evaluates the application of slurry on to land and looks at looks at the impact of changes to manure management practices. This work is part of an integrated approach to help farmers manage their nutrients as effectively as possible and to tackle diffuse pollution from agriculture.
	The application of organic manures (which include cattle and pig slurry) to agricultural land is important in improving soil fertility and productivity. The efficient use of manures is one element of an approach to more closely match crops' needs, and capacity to use nutrients, to supply. It also helps to reduce farmers' synthetic fertiliser costs: for example, every tonne of nitrate applied as slurry when plants need it can lead to savings on a farm's fertiliser bill of £345 (or £1,000 per tonne of nitrogen).
	In addition, the benefits of efficient manure application extend to significant reductions of environmental pollutants such as greenhouse gas emissions, ammonia emissions to air, and nitrate-N emissions to water.

Rural Areas: Broadband

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to meet the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to discuss support for the roll-out of rural broadband in the next three months.

Richard Benyon: Access to broadband in rural areas is a key priority for DEFRA. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), is in regular and ongoing discussions with the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), on the roll-out of broadband to rural areas.

Rural Areas: Economic Growth

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings she has had on economic growth in rural communities since May 2010.

Richard Benyon: Supporting sustainable economic growth in rural areas has been a priority for DEFRA since this Government took office. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has had regular meetings with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), on this and other issues since May 2010. She is currently leading the Rural Economy strand of the Government’s Growth Review, which focuses on the practical steps that can be taken to enable rural economies to thrive and make a greater contribution to national growth.

Rural Areas: Economic Growth

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to meet the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss steps to support development in rural communities in the next three months.

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on encouraging growth in rural areas.

Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has regular meetings with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), on the Growth Review and other issues. She has been leading the rural economy strand of the review which is focused on how the Government can best support strong economic growth in rural communities.

Rural Areas: Economic Growth

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials are working on her Department's Rural Economy Growth Review.

Richard Benyon: The core project team working on the Rural Economy Growth Review within DEFRA is made up of 6.3 full-time equivalent staff. Other officials in both DEFRA and other Government Departments also contribute to the work as necessary.

Rural Areas: Economic Growth

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have attended on the Rural Economy Growth Review; and on what dates.

Richard Benyon: Since its launch in June 2011, DEFRA has been leading the rural economy strand of the Government's Growth Review. Ministers and officials in the Department have had numerous meetings as part of the review.

Rural Enterprise Zones

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had on rural enterprise zones.

Richard Benyon: Since June 2011, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has been leading the rural economy strand of the Growth Review, which is focused on supporting strong economic growth in rural communities. As part of this the Government are considering a variety of innovative ways in which rural businesses can be supported, including through the work of local enterprise partnerships.

Sewers

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to issue the consultation on the mandatory adoption arrangements and the mandatory build standards for new gravity foul sewers and lateral drains.

Richard Benyon: Proposals to consult on mandatory adoption arrangements, and the mandatory build standards for new gravity foul sewers and lateral drains, are currently undergoing final internal government clearances. Subject to these clearances, the consultation launch is planned for December 2011.

Sewers: Urban Areas

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding is available to local authorities for the costs of maintaining sustainable urban drainage systems.

Richard Benyon: Funding for the maintenance of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) by local authorities is agreed with a developer or another party, typically using a Section 106 agreement from the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
	However, the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 includes a new duty for unitary and county local authorities, acting as SuDS approving bodies, to approve drainage systems in new developments and adopt those that serve more than one property.
	The Government recognise that once commenced this will be a new burden on local authorities and in the short-term we will fund the maintenance of drainage systems approved and subsequently adopted. We are also committed to finding a long-term solution for the maintenance of SuDS and we are currently exploring options.

SSSIs

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria she requires (a) priority habitats and (b) sites of special scientific interest to meet for them to be assessed as being in favourable condition.

Richard Benyon: There are no comprehensive criteria for assessing favourable condition of priority habitats in England. Criteria have been developed for specific habitats where national surveys have been completed (lowland grassland, lowland heathland and upland priority habitats). There are plans to develop a more comprehensive set of criteria to enable progress against the Biodiversity 2020 habitat outcomes to be measured.
	Assessment of favourable condition on sites of special scientific interest is based on criteria set out in Common Standards Monitoring Guidance, administered by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

SSSIs: Planning Permission

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the (a) British Association of Shooting and Conservation, (b) Countryside Alliance and (c) other bodies on (i) the potential effect of planning law on sites of special scientific interest and (ii) the protected status of those sites.

Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has had no meetings with these organisations specifically to discuss planning law in relation to sites of special scientific interest.

Supermarkets: Competition

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with supermarket chains on the creation of a supermarket ombudsman.

James Paice: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills leads on the creation of the Grocery Code Adjudicator.
	The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has not therefore held any particular recent discussions with supermarket chains on this issue.

Sussex Emerald Moth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to protect the Sussex Emerald Moth.

Richard Benyon: The Sussex Emerald Moth is fully protected under schedule 5 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and is listed as a species of principal importance for the conservation of biological diversity under section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act. It is one of England's rarest moths, known from just two sites in Kent, with its stronghold at Dungeness. In recent years, the decline of the Sussex Emerald has been halted and Natural England is working with the RSPB, Butterfly Conservation, and major landowners to increase the population within and around Dungeness through habitat creation.

Trees: Disease Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding will be allocated to implement the Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Action Plan; and if she will provide a breakdown of how this will be spent.

James Paice: DEFRA is allocating £7 million from existing evidence resources as additional funding for new research into tree health over the next three years, and is also working with partners and stakeholders to take forward further research. Projects will be identified following open competition. The bidding process is being developed and will be announced as soon as possible.

Resource Efficiency

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding her Department provided to (a) the Waste and Resources Action Programme and (b) the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: The following table shows the amount of DEFRA funding provided to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) for the years 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  WRAP NISP 
			 2007-08 58.8 8.0 
			 2008-09 42.6 5.0 
			 2009-10 54.6 5.5 
		
	
	Since April 2010, the seven bodies previously funded separately by DEFRA to provide advice and support on resource efficiency (including WRAP and NISP) were integrated under the umbrella of WRAP to provide a single source of expertise on material resource efficiency. The NISP is currently delivered by International Synergies Ltd through a contract with WRAP.
	In 2010-11 the amount of funding provided to WRAP was £49 million.
	The 2011-12 budget allocated to WRAP is £34.7 million.

Waste Disposal: Finance

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much she estimates will need to be spent on new treatment facilities for municipal solid waste in England for the UK to meet its landfill diversion targets.

Richard Benyon: The EU landfill directive sets targets to reduce the diversion of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill to 50% of 1995 levels by 2013 and 35% of 1995 levels by 2020.
	The current HM Treasury National Infrastructure Plan estimates that delivering the required infrastructure using private finance initiative funding would amount to £95 million per year from 2014-15 and £120 million per year by 2017-18.

Water Companies: Employment

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of the five-year asset management planning cycle on employment in the water industry and its supply chain.

Richard Benyon: Water and sewerage companies and water-only companies are responsible for their own investment programmes, including employment matters. As private companies, they have to decide how best to deliver safe and secure water supplies to their customers.
	Ofwat is the economic regulator of the water and sewerage sectors in England and Wales. In October 2006, it published its conclusions from its consultation ‘Setting water and sewerage price limits: is five years right?’ In this, Ofwat said that there was support for continuing to set price limits at the 2009 price review for five years. At the 2009 price review, Ofwat asked companies, for the first time, to prepare 25 year strategic direction statements, which would help plan for the longer term.
	Ofwat is due to publish its ‘Future Price Limits Framework’ consultation in late November which, among other things, is seeking views on how to create sectors that take a longer term approach to business planning. It is thought that this longer term approach will help to prevent future peaks and troughs within the investment cycles.

Water Companies: Manpower

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were employed in the water sector and its supply chain in each of the five years of the 2004 price review.

Richard Benyon: Employment levels across the UK's water sector and its supply chain are not measured on a consistent basis. However, Ofwat, British Water and Energy and Utility Skills have provided the following estimates of employment within the UK's water industry and its supply chain over the 2004 price review period:
	
		
			  2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Water/sewerage companies 37,000 37,500 37,500 38,000 38,000 
			 Supply chain 60,000 80,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 
			 Total 97,000 117,500 137,500 118,000 98,000

Water Supply

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has given any consideration to encouraging water trading between UK water companies.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has given considerable consideration to encouraging water trading between UK water companies. The Department commissioned research into the barriers to trading and this was published in September 2010 as ‘Assessment of regulatory barriers and constraints to effective interconnectivity of water supplies’. This research will inform the Water White Paper.

Water: EU Law

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has any plans to assess whether the water framework directive could be implemented (a) more cost-effectively and (b) in a more environmentally friendly way.

Richard Benyon: The water framework directive is founded on sustainable development principles. It incorporates a requirement to assess the costs and benefits of alternative approaches to achieving its aims and to select the most cost-effective combination of measures. In addition, it allows the cost of achieving the environmental objectives set for our water bodies to be phased over three planning cycles ending in 2027, if it is disproportionately expensive to achieve the objectives it sets by the default deadline of 2015. In England, river basin management plans for the first cycle 2009-15 envisage that the percentage of water bodies achieving good status will increase from 26% to 30%. The Environment Agency aims to achieve an additional 2% improvement in that period as the result of the many investigations that are being carried out to provide the evidence needed to identify appropriate action.
	The Environment Agency is working closely at the local level with a range of partners, including water companies, farmers, land managers and voluntary organisations, to develop and drive forward the new catchment management approach announced in March this year. This involves building understanding of the complex interactions between land and water, developing measures to address water pollution at source, and securing multiple benefits such as reduced treatment of drinking water, improved habitat for wildlife and more sustainable flood risk management, while lessening reliance on expensive and carbon intensive end-of-pipe solutions.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: Manpower

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the deployment of emergency care assistants; and whether he plans to put in place safeguards to ensure they will not be used as substitutes for qualified paramedics.

Simon Burns: Decisions on deployment of ambulance service personnel are a local, operational matter for ambulance trusts. There is a duty of care on these trusts to ensure that the response they send to the patient can provide the appropriate level of care. Where patients need a paramedic, one should be dispatched.
	Emergency care assistants are not trained to have any diagnostic or therapeutic intervention function, and so only in exceptional cases will not be accompanied by a paramedic. In such exceptional circumstances, an emergency care assistant may be dispatched with an emergency medical technician or another emergency care assistant, but this would only be as backup to a paramedic rapid response vehicle, or as a first response, with paramedic back-up dispatched as required.

Alcohol and Drugs Misuse

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to respond to the letter of 3 November 2011 from Sir Michael Scholar of the UK Statistics Authority concerning (a) the statistics on substance misuse among young people and (b) statistics from the National Alcohol Treatment Monitoring System; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), intends to respond shortly and will lay a copy of the statement before Parliament.

Blood: Donors

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many schools and sixth form colleges in (a) Nottinghamshire and (b) nationally held at least one blood donation session in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: The legal minimum age for blood donation in the United Kingdom is 17.
	The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of schools and colleges that have held at least one blood donation session per year, as at 11 November 2011 
			  Nottinghamshire England and North Wales 
			 2007 10 97 
			 2008 13 97 
			 2009 12 94 
			 2010 12 73 
			 2011 8 62 
			 Notes: 1. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for the provision of a reliable, efficient supply of blood to hospitals in England and North Wales. 2. NHSBT does not hold data to differentiate between sixth form colleges and other types of colleges. Source: NHS Blood and Transplant.

Brain Cancer

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the use of proton beam therapy in the treatment of brain tumours;
	(2)  what the average time taken was from the onset of symptoms of a primary brain tumour to its diagnosis in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: An expert clinical advisory group, established to look at the options for the development of proton beam therapy (PBT) services in this country, recommended that PBT could benefit a small group of very specific primary tumours. These include some tumours of the base of the skull in adults that are close to the brain and some primary brain tumours in children.
	From 2008, patients with high priority cancers have been sent overseas for PBT treatment. A Proton Therapy Clinical Reference Panel, established by the National Commissioning Group, advises on suitable cases for this treatment. The Panel has approved over 100 base of skull or primary central nervous system tumour cases for treatment with PBT since the Overseas Programme began. The PBT clinical reference panel has also established processes that will enable the outcomes for these patients to be evaluated.
	The Department does not collect statistics regarding average time taken from the onset of symptoms of a primary brain tumour to its diagnosis. However, “The National Report of the 2010 Cancer Patient Experience Survey”, published in December 2010, included a series of questions about general practitioner (GP) presentation and referrals. The views of over 67,000 cancer patients were included in the survey results and of these 2,382 had brain and central nervous system (CNS) tumours.
	The following table shows the responses of patients with brain and CNS tumours to questions concerning GP presentation and referral, presented alongside the highest scoring patient group.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Brain and CNS All cancers 
			 Saw GP no more than twice about cancer related problem before being referred to a hospital doctor 65 75 
			 Waited no more than four weeks before being referred to hospital doctor 90 90 
			 Thought first appointment with hospital doctor was as soon as necessary 73 81 
		
	
	Both national and trust level reports can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_122516

Breastfeeding

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve long-term support for women on breastfeeding.

Anne Milton: The Department recognises the importance of breastfeeding and is committed to supporting breastfeeding through the Healthy Child Programme, as set out in the Public Health White Paper, published in December 2010. Support and information is available to health professionals and parents via the NHS Choices and Start4Life websites, the National Breastfeeding Helpline and local peer support programmes.
	In addition, we have made a commitment to recruit an extra 4,200 health visitors by 2015, who will be able to help support women who want to breastfeed but may find it difficult.

Cancer

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the quality of care provided to pancreatic cancer patients;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the comparative quality of information provided to newly diagnosed (a) pancreatic and (b) other cancer patients;
	(3)  what proportion of pancreatic cancer patients were treated at specialist centres in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(4)  what assessment his Department has made of the quality of experience of pancreatic cancer patients compared to other cancer patients.

Paul Burstow: “The National Report of the 2010 Cancer Patient Experience Survey”, published in December 2010, is the largest ever England-wide survey of cancer patients' experience of care with over 67,000 respondents from 158 trusts. Patients with pancreatic cancer are included within the results for the 3,577 patients with upper gastro-intestinal (upper GI) cancers who participated in the survey. In the following table are the survey responses most relevant to the information requested.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Question Upper GI All cancers 
			 Completely understood explanation of what was wrong with them 73 74 
			 Given easy-to-understand written information about cancer diagnosis 59 66 
			 Health professionals always worked well together to give best possible care 61 61 
			 Given the right amount of information about condition and treatment 87 88 
			 Did not feel they were treated as “a set of cancer symptoms” 78 80 
		
	
	Both national and trust level reports can be found on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_122516
	Information regarding the proportion of pancreatic cancer patients treated at specialist centres in the latest period for which figures are available cannot be provided in the format requested. Information about the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for patients with a primary diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, by hospital provider for 2010-11 has been placed in the Library.
	FCEs should not be described as a count of people as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion. To protect patient confidentiality, figures between one and five have been replaced with an asterisk. Where it was still possible to identify numbers from the total an additional number (the next smallest) has been replaced.

Cancer: Surgery

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have undergone surgery for (a) pancreatic, (b) breast, (c) lung and (d) bowel cancer in each of the last three years.

Paul Burstow: Information regarding the number of patients who have undergone surgery for pancreatic, breast, lung and bowel cancer in each of the last three years cannot be provided in the format requested.
	Information about the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for patients with a primary diagnosis of lung, bowel, breast or pancreatic cancer undergoing a main excision procedure in each of the last three years has been provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Lung cancer Bowel cancer Breast cancer Pancreatic cancer 
			 2010-11 5,000 25,703 37,444 671 
			 2009-10 4,624 24,888 35,830 685 
			 2008-09 4,050 24,281 34,782 640 
		
	
	An FCE is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs do not represent the number of different patients receiving treatment as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year.
	A main procedure is the first recorded procedure or intervention in each episode of care, usually the most resource intensive procedure or intervention performed during the episode.

Carers

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to require councils to include a minimum level of resources to be set aside for personal mobility when designing contracts with state-funded care providers; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The detail of contracting arrangements between councils and independent sector providers of care is a matter for local decision. It would not be appropriate for the Department to set out in detail how councils contract with care homes. It is important that councils have flexibility to tailor contracts as necessary to meet the needs of individuals, their communities and specific local circumstances.
	Personal mobility needs for disabled adults are met through the mobility component of disability living allowance (DLA). The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is considering personal mobility issues as part of the development of Personal Independence Payments, which will replace DLA in 2013. The Department has provided information to DWP regarding the responsibilities of councils and care homes to arrange and provide social care services, and the responsibility of the Care Quality Commission to ensure the quality of those services.

Dementia: South East

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Medway, (b) Tonbridge and Malling borough council, (c) Chatham and Aylesford constituency and (d) the south-east who have been diagnosed with dementia in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table:
	
		
			 Numbers of patients on the dementia patient register for Medway Primary Care Trust (PCT), West Kent PCT and the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority (SHA) 
			 NHS organisation Number of patients on dementia patient register at 31 March 2011 
			 Medway PCT 1,093 
			 West Kent PCT 3,298 
			 South East Coast SHA 24,284 
			 Notes: 1. The national QOF records the number of people recorded on practice disease registers with a diagnosis of dementia—a measure of prevalence rather than incidence. 2. Data from the QOF Dementia Patient Register as at 31 March 2011 are the latest data available. 3. These data are not available at local authority or parliamentary constituency level. Tonbridge and Malling borough council falls within the West Kent PCT area. Chatham and Aylesford constituency lies predominantly within the Medway PCT area. 4. QOF is a voluntary annual reward and incentive programme for all general practitioner (GP) surgeries in England and is part of the GP contract. The QOF was introduced as part of the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract on 1 April 2004. Participation rates are very high, with most Personal Medical Services practices also taking part. Practices score points on the basis of achievement against each indicator, up to a maximum of 1,000 points. Results of GP practices' achievement against the QOF are published each year. 5. For 2010-11, 8,245 GP practices in England are included in the published results, covering almost 100% of registered patients in England. 6. The QOF has four main components, known as domains. Each domain consists of a set of measures of achievement, known as indicators, against which practices score points according to their level of achievement. 7. The following extract is taken from Quality and Outcomes Framework guidance for GMS contract 2009-10 ‘Delivering investment in general practice’, March 2009, NHS Employers (note, 2009-10 guidance also applies to 2010-11 QOF). “The practice can produce a register of patients diagnosed with dementia. Rationale: A register is a pre-requisite for the organisation of good primary care for a particular patient group. There is little evidence to support screening for dementia and it is expected that the diagnosis will largely be recorded from correspondence when patients are referred to secondary care with suspected dementia or as an additional diagnosis when a patient is seen in secondary care. However, it is also important to include patients where it is inappropriate or not possible to refer to a secondary care provider for a diagnosis and where the GP has made a diagnosis based on their clinical judgement and knowledge of the patient. The practice reports the number of patients with dementia on its register and the number of people with dementia as a proportion of its list size.” Source: Dementia Patient Register, Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), the NHS Information Centre

Judicial Review

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what applications for judicial review have been made against his Department (a) in the last Parliament and (b) since May 2010; whether each such application (i) succeeded, (ii) failed and (iii) remains pending; what legal costs were incurred by his Department for each such application; in each failed application whether he applied for costs against the applicant and whether they were (A) awarded and (B) paid; whether his Department (1) paid for and (2) offered to pay for the legal costs incurred by each such applicant; and what the total cost to the public purse was of payment of the legal costs for each such applicant.

Simon Burns: Internal legal advice for the Department is obtained through a service level agreement which the Department has with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (i.e. from legal staff directly employed by DWP). DWP legal services report that the information requested is not recorded centrally by the litigation team; to obtain it would involve examining open files and recalling closed files from storage. This could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

Diabetes: Nurses

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the role of diabetes specialist nurses in community, primary and secondary care and in the integration of diabetes care services is taken into account in his planned reforms of the NHS. [R]

Paul Burstow: The coalition Government consider that diabetes specialist nurses are an essential part of the diabetes specialist team. They have a valuable part to play in supporting people with diabetes, and ensuring the integration of diabetes services.
	Local health care organisations are in the best position to determine the work force needed to deliver safe and high-quality patient care for their local populations. Managing diabetes, and commissioning services for people with diabetes, is complex and we expect decisions to be informed by clinical involvement and leadership. The national health service reforms present an opportunity for stronger, closer partnership working between the new primary care commissioners and secondary care specialists, ensuring that evidence-based multi-disciplinary care is commissioned and is focused on the needs of the individual patient.

General Practitioners

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the number of GP appointments which took place in (a) Kent and (b) England in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11.

Simon Burns: The Department does not collect data centrally on numbers of general practitioner appointments.

Herbal Medicine

Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many complaints the Borderline section of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has received where the medicinal status of the product required investigating in the last two years; how many of these resulted in a determination that the product investigated was a medicine; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  which companies have been investigated by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for labelling herbal medicinal products as food supplements; what sanctions the MHRA can apply against such companies; what steps the MHRA is taking to prevent such practices; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of herbal medicinal manufacturers who are considering reclassifying their traditional herbal registration products as food supplements; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: In the years 2009-10 and 2010-11 the Medicines Borderline Section of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) considered 986 complaints. The MHRA concluded that 667 cases involved products which could be classified as medicines by virtue of their presentation, or by virtue of their function or both. The MHRA approach in these cases is to seek voluntary compliance from companies wherever possible but six provisional determinations were issued in that two-year period and eight final determinations.
	The Medicines for Human Use (Marketing Authorisations Etc.) Regulations 1994 make it an offence to place a medicine on the market without the appropriate authorisation or to distribute such a product by way of wholesale dealing, unless an exemption applies. Breaches of the regulations are a criminal offence and can be punished by up to two years’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. Companies that are investigated by the MHRA are entitled to their privacy especially where, following investigation, no subsequent enforcement action is taken against them. The MHRA considers that it would not be in the public interest to publish the names of companies where there is compliance with regulatory requirements; such an approach could also have legal implications. Where a case results in a final determination that a product is a medicine this information appears on the MHRA website.
	Prior to the date of full implementation of directive 2004/24/EC the MHRA wrote to 272 companies which it believed to be involved in the supply of herbal products in the United Kingdom. 132 replied saying that they marketed some 2,915 products under the section 12(2) exemption from licensing contained in the Medicines Act 1968. The MHRA is aware of some companies labelling products as food supplements which might be medicinal products and is investigating those companies. The MHRA is considering the wider issues arising and how effective, proportionate enforcement action can best ensure that the intended benefits of the legislation for consumers and for companies compliant with the legislation are achieved.

Hospices: Charities

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of potential changes to the regulation of charitable hospices as a consequence of the reforms proposed in the Health and Social Care Bill; and whether he proposes that such hospices will be subject to regulation by Monitor.

Simon Burns: The Health and Social Care Bill would introduce a requirement that “any person who provides a health care(1) service for the purposes of the NHS must hold a licence”, except where they are exempt through regulations set by the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley).
	(1) The definition of health care as set out in Clause 60 (3) of the Health and Social Care Bill in relation to Part 3 of the Bill states:
	“‘Health care’ means all forms of health care provided for individuals, whether relating to physical or mental health with a reference in this Part to health care services being read accordingly; and for the purposes of this Part it does not matter if a health care service is also an adult social care service.”
	Therefore, any charitable hospices providing “health care” services would be required to apply to Monitor for a licence, unless it is determined they should be exempt by regulations.
	Monitor and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) would be obliged to operate a joint licensing administration process. There would be a single, integrated application process and co-ordination of licence modifications and enforcement action. This would avoid duplication and reduce bureaucracy for providers.
	The Bill would place a duty on Monitor to ensure best regulatory practice; keep regulatory burdens under review and remove unnecessary burdens.
	Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the CQC has a duty to ensure that any action it takes is proportionate to the risks against which it would afford safeguards and is targeted only where it is needed. The CQC is currently consulting on proposals to simplify and strengthen its regulatory model of monitoring and inspecting providers of regulated activities.

Injuries: Dogs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether he has had discussions with (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) officials on the cost of admissions to hospitals arising from dangerous dog attacks;
	(2)  what correspondence he has received on the effects on hospital (a) staff and (b) budgets of treating injuries caused by dangerous dogs.

Simon Burns: Ministers in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have been working closely with Government and non-Government organisations to prepare a package of measures to encourage more responsible dog ownership and reduce dog attacks. This work is nearing completion and an announcement will be made by that Department shortly.
	A search of the Department of Health's correspondence database since 1 January 2011 shows that no correspondence has been received on the effects on hospital staff and budgets of treating injuries caused by dangerous dogs.

Mental Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the effect of living in an (a) urban and (b) rural environment on levels of mental illness;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the effects of (a) unemployment and (b) poverty on levels of mental illness;
	(3)  what the rate of mental illness is of (a) males in the richest decile and (b) females in the poorest decile;
	(4)  what recent assessment he has made of the effects of (a) environmental, (b) societal and (c) economic factors on long-term trends in mental illness;
	(5)  how many (a) male adults, (b) female adults, (c) male children and (d) female children were diagnosed with a mental illness in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: While we know that poverty, economic hardship, debt and unemployment are risk factors for mental disorders, no recent assessment has been made of the effect of unemployment or poverty levels on levels of mental health. Nor have there been any recent assessments of the effects of environmental, societal and economic factors on long-term trends in mental illness.
	While the Mental Health Minimum Dataset includes rates of access to secondary mental health services by adults, they are not available by levels of deprivation, nor do they cover the number of people diagnosed with a mental illness, broken down by gender and age.
	No recent assessment has been made of the effect of living in urban or rural environments on the levels of mental illness.

Neuromuscular Conditions: Health Services

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on progress in setting up a managed clinical network for neuromuscular conditions in the NHS South Central region; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: This is a matter for the national health service locally. However, the South Central Specialised Commissioning Group (SCSCG) report on neuromuscular services was published in August 2011. There are two established specialist providers of neuromuscular services in the south central region, in Southampton and Oxford. Both locations now have neuro-muscular disorder care advisors who are supporting patients in the region and further developing links from the specialist service into secondary, community and primary care. As part of the national work programme on services for people with neuromuscular conditions, the SCSCG (in conjunction with the North West Specialised Commissioning Group) has led on looking at models of care to improve the integration of care across pathways and providers.

NHS: Disclosure of Information

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what cases involving whistleblowers in the NHS (a) he and his predecessor and (b) his ministerial colleagues and their predecessors have received briefing on since 1997.

Anne Milton: To identify what cases involving whistleblowers Ministers have received briefing on since 1997 would incur disproportionate costs.

NHS: Disclosure of Information

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to support whistleblowers in the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: On 9 June, the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), announced a full public inquiry into the role of commissioning, supervising and regulatory bodies in the monitoring of Mid-Staffordshire Foundation Trust. As part of this, he also stated his intentions to undertake further work on whistleblowing and improve procedures for those who wished to raise concerns. These include:
	Issuing unequivocal guidance to national health service organisations that all their contracts of employment should cover staff whistleblowing rights—this has been published on the NHS Employers website on 13 September 2010.
	Seeking through negotiations with NHS trade unions to amend the terms and conditions of service handbook to include a contractual right to raise concerns. Changes have been made to the NHS staff terms and conditions of service handbook for those on Agenda for Change and were agreed through the Staff Council and published on the NHS Employers website on 13 September 2010.
	Issuing guidance to the NHS on supporting and taking action on concerns raised by staff. This has been completed and as stated earlier published on 25 June 2010.
	Reinforcing the NHS constitution to make clear the rights and responsibilities of NHS staff and their employers in respect of whistleblowing. A full public consultation ran from 12 October 2010 to 11 January 2011 to gauge public opinion on the possibility of adding:
	an expectation that staff should raise concerns at the earliest opportunity;
	organisations should pledge to support staff when raising concerns; and
	the constitution should have greater clarity around the ability of staff to raise concerns.
	The departmental response to this was published on 18 October 2011, endorsing these changes which will be made in early 2012.
	Exploring with NHS staff further measures to provide a safe and independent authority to whom they can turn when their own organisation is not listening. This option is currently being explored.

NHS: Sick Leave

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve the support offered to NHS employees unable to work due to sickness to resume work.

Simon Burns: The Department is committed to improving the overall health and well-being of staff in the national health service.
	The programme of work we are undertaking in this area is focused on both enabling improvements in individual's levels of health and providing return to work support when staff suffer episodes of ill health which prevent them from working.
	The Department launched the NHS Health and Wellbeing Improvement Framework on 29 July 2011 to support NHS organisations in achieving changes to improve staff health and well-being. Over the coming months the Department is taking a number of specific initiatives in this area such as encouraging all NHS Occupational Health Departments to seek accreditation to the Faculty of Occupational Medicine's standards by March 2013; using pathfinders to develop models to support health and well-being in the NHS; and providing support to a number of organisations that are struggling to reduce levels of sickness absence.
	The Department is also working with NHS Employers as a delivery arm for change. They are leading work on embedding approaches to support health and well-being across the NHS; supporting the development of Occupational Health Services and ensuring that there is a robust evidence base for the provision of these services in all NHS care settings; leading the national campaign to increase uptake of influenza vaccination by NHS staff; and helping NHS organisations meet their legal responsibilities for health and safety.
	High quality occupational health is a key element in providing return to work support for employees unable to work due to sickness.
	The Department's focus on this area will ensure increased support for NHS staff when they cannot work, and continued support when they return to work after an episode of sickness.

Obesity: Alcoholic Drinks

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the relationship between high levels of alcohol consumption and obesity levels among (a) 16 to 24 year olds and (b) 45 to 54 year olds; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of obesity occasioned by alcohol consumption in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the relationship between high levels of alcohol consumption and obesity.

Anne Milton: The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the relationship between high levels of alcohol consumption and obesity levels; nor has the Department estimated the cost of obesity as a result of alcohol consumption. We have recently published ‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A call to action on obesity in England’, this states that alcoholic drinks can be high in calories and contribute to the energy imbalance that can lead to overweight and obesity. A copy of the document has already been placed in the Library.
	The ‘National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2008/09-2009/10’ showed that, for adults aged 19 to 64 years who consumed alcohol, alcohol provided on average 9.7% of total energy intake for men and 7.7% for women. Information is available in Table 5.22 on page 110 of the ‘NDNS Headline results from Years 1 and 2 (combined) tables’. The information is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_128166
	A copy of Table 5.22 has been placed in the Library.

Pancreatic Cancer

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to address variations in one-year survival rates for pancreatic cancer between regions;
	(2)  what plans he has to review referral guidelines on pancreatic cancer;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of guidelines for the early detection of pancreatic cancer by GPs;
	(4)  how many NHS pancreatic cancer clinical nurse specialists there were in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: We are providing data on regional variations in cancer care to support providers and commissioners to take action on variations in cancer survival rates locally. Through the National Cancer Intelligence Network we have already made available data collections on survival rates and surgical resection rates across a range of cancers, including pancreatic cancer. In August, we published the “Radiotherapy Dataset First Annual Report” to help tackle unwarranted variation in radiotherapy services and from April 2012 we are mandating the collection of chemotherapy data to achieve the same.
	Referral guidelines for patients with suspected pancreatic cancer are included in “Improving Outcomes in Upper Gastro-intestinal Cancers”, published by the Department in 2001, and in “Referral guidelines for suspected cancer”, updated by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in 2005. In the latter, guidance is provided for gastrointestinal cancers as a whole, rather than by specific tumour type.
	NICE is in the process of reviewing its cancer referral guideline to take account of the latest available evidence. While there are currently no plans to review the Improving Outcomes Guidance, we have made it clear that it will continue to be a feature of all commissioned cancer services.
	Both sets of guidance were developed with input from a wide range of clinical experts, stakeholders and patients and to provide effective support for national health service in the diagnosis, treatment and care of cancer patients. However, they do not replace the expertise of clinicians who are responsible for decisions about patient care.
	Finally, according to “Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs) in Cancer Care: Provision, Proportion and Performance A census of the cancer specialist nurse workforce in England 2010”, published by the National Cancer Action Team in December 2010, there were 205.78 working time equivalent (WTE) upper gastrointestinal CNSs. The total reported CNS work force number was 2,164.20 WTE.

Pharmacy

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of pharmacy contracts in (a) Kent and (b) England in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11.

Simon Burns: Information on the number of community pharmacy contractors in contract with primary care trusts (PCTs) in England and with the Kent and Medway PCT cluster (NHS West Kent, NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent and NHS Medway) is shown in the table.
	Information for 2010-11 is due to be published by the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care shortly.
	
		
			  2008-09 (1) 2009-10 (1) 
			 England 10,475 10,691 
			 NHS West Kent 108 111 
			 NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent 135 138 
			 NHS Medway 49 48 
			 (1 )As at 31 March in each financial year Sources: NHS Prescription Services of the NHS Business Services Authority NHS Information Centre

Social Services: Alcoholic Drinks

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the level of (a) drug dependency and (b) alcoholism amongst care leavers.

Anne Milton: These data are not collected centrally. A sample of 101 care leavers interviewed as part of a departmentally funded study by the university of York in 2001-04 found that 32% of them had problems with drugs or alcohol a year after leaving care.

Social Services: Learning Disability

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people with a learning disability were assessed as having (a) critical, (b) substantial, (c) moderate and (d) low level needs in each local authority area in each year since 2000;
	(2)  how many people of working age with a learning disability in each local authority area were assessed for state-funded social care in each year since 2000; and how many received such care.

Paul Burstow: No data are held on the number of people assessed as having critical, substantial, moderate and low level needs in each local authority area.
	A table has been placed in the Library that shows the number of people of working age, with a learning disability, in each local authority area, that were assessed for state-funded social care in each year since 2000; and how many received such care.
	Tables 1.1 to 1.4 show the number of clients with learning disabilities aged 18-64 with completed assessments from 2000-01 to 2009-10.
	Table 1.1 covers the period 2000-01 to 2002-03 when data for reviews as well as assessments are also included as they were not collected separately from assessments.
	Table 1.2 covers 2003-04 to 2007-08.
	Table 1.3 contains data for 2008-09 as the source table changed from previous years.
	Table 1.4 contains data for 2009-10 due to the reorganisation of local government that created nine new unitary authorities.
	Tables 2.1 to 2.8 show the outcome of the assessment for clients with learning disabilities aged 18-64 from 2000-01 to 2007-08. These data are not available for later years broken down by primary client type. These tables all refer to assessments completed within the year and the outcome of those assessments. Tables 2.3 and 2.4, which cover 2003-04 and 2004-05, also include reviews which were not collected separately from assessments for these years.
	Tables 3.1 and 3.2 show the number of clients with learning disabilities aged 18-64 who were receiving services funded partially or wholly by councils with adult social services responsibilities during the period from 2000-01 to 2009-10. Only a subset of these clients would have been assessed and would have started using services in that year.
	Table 3.1 covers 2000-01 to 2008-09.
	Table 3.2 only contains data for 2009-10 due to the reorganisation of local government that created nine new unitary authorities.
	Provisional data for the 2010-11 will be pre-announced for publication on 30 November 2011.

Social Services: Learning Disability

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people of working age with a learning disability were assessed for state-funded social care in Redditch constituency in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011; and how many received such care.

Paul Burstow: The number of people assessed for state funded social care and the number who receive services funded wholly or partly by councils with adult social services responsibilities is collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.
	The following table shows the number of clients with learning disabilities aged 18-64 who had completed assessments or were receiving services funded partially or wholly by Worcestershire county council during the period in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
	Only a subset of the clients receiving services would have been assessed in the same year.
	Provisional data for 2010-11 will be published on 30 November 2011.
	The number of clients with learning disabilities aged 18-64 who had completed assessments or were receiving services in Worcestershire during the period.
	
		
			 Rounded numbers 
			 Worcestershire 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Completed assessments 70 115 
			 Receiving services 1,415 1,450 
			 Source: Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care (RAP) returns A7 and PI 
		
	
	This information is not collected at constituency level.